Link and Commentary: Why SOPA Is Dangerous

Mashable article here.

Unless you've been living under a rock (or are the lone college student who doesn't use Wikipedia as a go-to source at the first opportunity), you've probably heard about the impending SOPA and PIPA bills being considered by Congress. You've probably heard that they're bad things, with little in the way of pro-SOPA commentary.

That's not because the media has a liberal bias. (LOL.) That's because SOPA and PIPA are bad things. They are very, very, very bad things. If these bills pass, they mean the end of every website out there that allows its users to upload content. That means the end of FaceBook. Of Twitter. Of Wikipedia, Tumblr, and YouTube. It means the end of fan-dominated sites like Livejournal and Dreamwidth, where writers ranging from nobodies like little old me to heavy hitters like Cassandra Clare and Naomi Novik learned their craft. Shutting down YouTube will cut off performing artists, since most people these days are discovered through viral marketing. (You might say that a world without Bieber would be a better one, but: I may not agree with your decision to shellac your hair and sing like a prepubescent, but I will defend to the death your right to do it.) The end of sharing and critique sites cuts off up-and-coming writers.

Yes, SOPA and PIPA are very, very, very, very bad things. Functionally, they mean the end of the internet.