dcsimg
 

Why SOPA Is Such A Big Issue

  • By

    Don Reisinger

 
 
 
  • 1 of 11
Previous
1. The Government Would Get All the Power
Next

1. The Government Would Get All the Power

In the initial version of SOPA, the bill would have allowed the U.S. Justice Department to summarily pick Web sites to take down, after getting a court order, and no one or nothing could have stopped it. Critics said that could have given the government far too much power.
Talk about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has been everywhere lately. That's because several major Web sites, including Firefox, Wikipedia, Google, and others, publicly protested the bill. Since then, the lawmakers behind both SOPA and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) have decided to postpone deliberations on modifying them in the hopes of reaching an accord with critics. Even though those bills have been put on hold, there's a good chance that they will come back in some form or another. Simply put, SOPA is a major issue that could have a profoundly negative impact on the Internet. Here's a look at why SOPA is such a major issue for anyone who uses the Internet.
This article was originally published on 2012-01-23
 
 
Don Reisinger is a freelance technology columnist. He started writing about technology for Ziff-Davis' Gearlog.com. Since then, he has written extremely popular columns for CNET.com, Computerworld, InformationWeek, and others. He has appeared numerous times on national television to share his expertise with viewers. You can follow his every move at http://twitter.com/donreisinger.