Popular forum and social website discovery site Reddit is very much against SOPA. They fear that the ease to which the possible law could be abused to censor free speech and take down entire website solely based on allegations without needing to prove anything in court. We reported earlier that some websites were considering the "nuclear option" of protesting SOPA by shutting down their sites and displaying messages imploring users to contact their congressmen and beg them to stop SOPA and Protect IP (the Senate version of SOPA).
Viva la Reddit! (Source: Reddit blog)
Well, it seems as if Reddit is joining the fight to stop SOPA and will be blacking out the Reddit website from 8 am to 8 pm EST on January 18th 2012. They state in their blog that the choice to blackout the website was a difficult one; however, it is a necessary measure to force people into action. "We feel focusing on a day of action is the best way we can amplify the voice of the community."
While Reddit is a popular website with a lot of fans, a good number of them are internet savvy enough to have likely already complained to their congressmen. Until a mainstream site with as much reach as Facebook joins the blackout campaign, I fear that money will continue to speak louder than the words of constituents. More information on the blackout can be found here.
Fantastic idea. All too often
Fantastic idea. All too often people are un-involved with decisions that effect them both directly & indirectly. At times I cannot blame one for not ‘caring’ because it seems much does not change in a direction that benefits the consumer.
The internet, in an era in which we have the greatest wealth disparity in our nations history, is one of the few bastions left for relatively free-speech and expression. This is, in part, why issues such as SOPA are critical for, not just the end-user, but the country as a whole and I feel it is not hyperbole to say as much.
We will see more and more attacks by corporations on internet freedom(s) and this will arise via SOPA-isk restrictions and/or bandwidth caps, throttling, and larger scaling of bandwidth utilization etceteras.
Unfortunately, the last 30-years have seen an erosion of individual rights if they impinge upon corporate profits and SOPA is but an example. If Reddit and others take a strong stance perhaps people will realize that our freedoms are being manipulated visa-via politics, by corporate power.
Yeah, I think if we could get
Yeah, I think if we could get Facebook on board… people will wake up and start forcing Congress to change or else. People get crazy without their Facebook fix! 🙂