American Censorship Day

Stand Against Online Censorship Dear Jason, Internet censorship is coming to America. It’s in the form of a bill in Congress that gives corporations unprecedented power to blacklist websites. Stand with us against Internet censorship If passed, the “Stop Online Piracy Act,” or SOPA, could rip apart the open fabric of the Internet. That’s why Free Press and dozens of other organizations are calling today “American Censorship Day.” We’re asking you to join us right now and take action against this horrible legislation.  The bill allows for the sort of heavy-handed tactics you’d expect to see in China, not from the U.S. Congress. SOPA (HR 3261) not only lets companies silence websites but also allows banks to freeze financial deposits to the accounts of website owners, potentially forcing falsely accused Internet enterprises out of business. The bill was intended to discourage illegal copyright violations, but it addresses this problem by giving corporations way too much authority over the way the Internet works. It deputizes the private sector with the power to disconnect the URLs of any websites corporations contend are behaving improperly. The consequences for free speech online are grave. Imagine your kid sister creates a "fansite" featuring videos of her singing Taylor Swift songs into a hairbrush. The bill not only gives Swift’s record label the authority to “disappear” your sister’s site from the Web but could also land her in jail, where she would face severe penalties and long prison time. Even pop singer Justin Bieber called SOPA "ridiculous." He said that "people need to have the freedom ... to sing songs," and added that any member of Congress who supports this bill "needs to be locked up — put away in cuffs." 2 We’re not so sure about the handcuffs. But at the very least Congress should kill this bill: Tell your representative, William Clay, to stop SOPA in its tracks. A Senate version of SOPA, called the Protect IP Act, passed committee approval in the spring following a massive push by film and music industry lobbyists. These lobbyists are back, but now Silicon Valley companies and venture capitalists have joined forces with civil liberties groups, independent musicians and free speech advocates to stop the bill. If the bill passes, we could see the private sector’s authority expand to a point that undermines the fundamental openness of the Internet. We can’t let corporations become the Internet police. SOPA must be stopped. Timothy Karr Campaign Director Free Press www.freepress.net www.savetheInternet.com P.S. Great news: If we raise $300,000 by Dec. 31, 2011, two longtime supporters will kick in an additional $300,000. Donate today and your gift will pack double the punch in the fight for better media. Thank you! 1. Rebecca MacKinnon, “Stop the Great Firewall of America,” New York Times, Nov. 15, 2011: http://act2.freepress.net/go/7345?akid=3056.9578237.riK93J&t=10 2. Toby Knapp, “Justin Bieber Calls out a Member of Congress over So-Called ‘Bieber Bill,'" Hot 99.5, Oct. 27, 2011: http://act2.freepress.net/go/7063?akid=3056.9578237.riK93J&t=12