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It's the End of the Internet...
As we Know it...
Well, not really, but many thought it would be. Approximately 7000 websites and content providers reacted on January 18, 2012 with a coordinated service black out. English Wikipedia and Reddit posted banners and even blocked access to some services (many of which are free). This was in awareness of the commendable but poorly written SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and the PIPA (Protect IP Act) of 2012 which was to be headed for a vote the following week.
This is what people saw on January 18th when going to Google.
Arguments for the legislation are to enforce copyright laws and to protect online digital content. Arguments against the legislation claim that it threatens free speech, innovation and is a form of censorship. It appeared as an "all or nothing" type legislation where one bad apple could ruin an experience for millions of users. Make no mistake, a very large problem exists in unauthorized use or theft of copyrighted protected material and something must be done. Hopefully legislators will meet the need correctly and efficiently.
The debate has been heated for many years and is now skyrocketing. Some industries have resisted change based on older marketing and business models and don't embrace the digital distribution and protection of their product. Business and individuals that have found new ways to utilize the digital age are becoming pioneers and inventing new industries.
The issue gets confusing with cloud computing. The basis of cloud computing depends on centralized storage of digital content in a non-localized manner. Basically your data, shared with a whole bunch of others data across the world. The initial SOPA bill states that an entire domain or service could be shut down without any respect to anyone or anything else that is hosted on that domain or service. There is unfortunately no guarantee about getting your data or content back if a shutdown occurs. For business and private cloud providers, the risk is lessened but very real. However, the home or small business might have a harder time finding a qualified provider at a price they can afford.
This problem gets compounded when as part of our daily lives we are viewing and generating content at incredible and almost unbelievable speeds and levels. We are using social media to post, re-post, tweet, re-tweet, and share just about anything we find online with everyone, in real time. We are using sites like Google and Wikipedia to perform research for our careers, school projects, hobbies, and well... for any curiosity, on any subject, in any language, at any time around the world. It is possible that at some point we will reach a level of our digital collective consciousness when no more content can be copyrighted or protected because it has already been written? Maybe, doubtful, but until then keep on the lookout for other bills and legislation that can affect your ability to access information as well as the flow of content. Would I have been able to write this piece without such resources??? There is much work to be done...
More reading:
Wikipedia Information
Nashville Scene
InfoWorld | 
