Mozilla Renews Call Against SOPA/PIPA

As tech companies continue to distance themselves from the Senate’s attempts to govern the Internet with the SOPA debacle, Mozilla offers us a reminder that the Stop Online Piracy Act is not the...
Mozilla Renews Call Against SOPA/PIPA
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As tech companies continue to distance themselves from the Senate’s attempts to govern the Internet with the SOPA debacle, Mozilla offers us a reminder that the Stop Online Piracy Act is not the only piece of legislation that’s currently threatening the open nature of the Internet.

Mozilla was quick with their denouncement of SOPA, but they don’t want you to forget that the House of Representatives U.S. Senate has their own version of SOPA, the bill that started much of this mess, the Protect-IP Act (PIPA). Again, Mozilla’s position, just like the rest of the tech industry that’s spoken out against these bills, is not one that suggests free files for all. Instead, the web application development crew feels both acts threaten the structure of the web with the use of DNS filtering, creating web security risks all in the name of protecting entertainment content.

To facilitate support against PIPA/SOPA, Mozilla is promoting a Commit to Call action, which they are describing as:

By working with other organizations fighting to protect the internet as we know it, and by reaching out to people like you, we’re helping organize a massive day of constituent calls to the Senate next Tuesday, asking them not to pass PIPA in its current form.

Mozilla’s position goes hand-in-hand with Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), who has threatened to filibuster PIPA if it reaches the Senate floor, and in fact, Wyden’s already taken steps against these bills by putting PIPA on hold six months ago when he took advantage of a rule that allows an individual Senator the ability to block bills.

Wyden’s position on PIPA/SOPA is clear:

By ceding control of the internet to corporations through a private right of action, and to government agencies that do not sufficiently understand and value the internet, PIPA represents a threat to our economic future and to our international objectives.

Wyden even made a YouTube video, presenting his position, as well as his filibuster goals:


The question is, outside of the concerned Internet masses, is the general public even aware of the threat SOPA and PIPA has in relation to their Internet-browsing freedom? Or are the cries of Mozilla, Wyden and the rest who oppose the misguided Internet legislation going largely unheard? In other words, how much coverage is this subject even getting from the mainstream media?

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