Occupy The Internet: Stop SOPA And PIPA

The Senate's Protect IP Act (PIPA) and its counterpart in the House, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) ostensibly seek to address, as David Carr explains, the real problem of "rogue Web sites — most operating from overseas — offering illicit downloads of movies, music and more."  Congress was heavily influenced by the big media companies to do something to protect the entertainment industry from piracy, but the legislation is so poorly and so broadly written that it would do little to address the issue while wreaking havoc on the free flow of information.  In addition to Carr's primer, Emily Crockett has an excellent piece which explains how these bills could lead to a censored, privatized Internet (with an update here).  And you can read about how the mainstream media is ignoring the issue here.

If you haven't yet contacted your representative or senators about this legislation, you can use this form to e-mail your representative, and this one for your Senators.