Many internet users were affected by the SOPA and PIPA protests of Wikipedia, Google, and over 7,000 other websites on January 18. Wikipedia, who blocked their content for 24 hours, was visited 162 million times, and Google reported that 4.5 million signatures were submitted to their online petition. These efforts made more people aware of the proposed bills and even led 8 US lawmakers to withdraw their support for the bills. This is an example of the powerful communicative tool that the internet has become. Allowing the government to censor and block websites would give it the power to control the internet. This could hinder the internet's growth and keep it from becoming an even greater tool for communicating. For this reason, I support the protests of Wikipedia and Google and hope that the internet will remain open and uncensored.
For more information, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16628143
The thing is, the basic intention was good (trying to stop the piracy that is affecting the movie/music industry), but the method was horribly flawed. Just goes to show you that good intentions mean nothing without correct follow through
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