UCAP website to go dark in protest of SOPA/PIPA

[jackhodgson]

On Jan 18 the Uncontrolled Airspace website will go dark from 8am to 8pm as part of an internet-wide protest of the SOPA/PIPA bills which are being considered by the US Congress.

Cory Doctorow of the Boing Boing website explains the issues well.

http://boingboing.net/2012/01/14/boing- ... on-ja.html

"... I don't think that any amount of "piracy" justifies this kind of depraved indifference to the consequences of one's actions. Big Content haven't just declared war on Boing Boing and Reddit and the rest of the "fun" Internet: they've declared war on every person who uses the net to publicize police brutality, every oppressed person in the Arab Spring who used the net to organize protests and publicize the blood spilled by their oppressors, every abused kid who used the net to reveal her father as a brutalizer of children, every gay kid who used the net to discover that life is worth living despite the torment she's experiencing, every grassroots political campaigner who uses the net to make her community a better place -- as well as the scientists who collaborate online, the rescue workers who coordinate online, the makers who trade tips online, the people with rare diseases who support each other online, and the independent creators who use the Internet to earn their livings."

Read the whole thing here.

We urge all our US listeners to contact their elected representatives and tell them you oppose SOPA/PIPA.

[Laminar]

I support this action.

I see from the news today that Wikipedia, AOL, Reddit and others have joined UCAP in this protest.

I wonder if the US Government will ever realize that the internet is not the same as the RF spectrum or cable TV. The whole world benefits from its anarchy. This includes the pirates, unfortunately. There are better ways to go after the bad guys than bringing the whole system down.

-Rick

[DJTorrente]

Latest reports seem to be that the House will not bring their version (SOPA) to the floor.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ ... story.html

[jackhodgson]

We seem to be making progress on killing this thing. But we must'nt stop now.

// Jack

[jackhodgson]

We're back.

My thanks to everyone who contacted us supporting our decision to go black today.

I truly believe that we're not overstating the seriousness of this thing. Although it's looking more and more likely that SOPA will fail, it's imperative that we not let up in our opposition. We must soundly defeat this now in order to set the tone for the next time they attempt this kind of thing. Because make no mistake, they will.

We now resume our regular....

[DJTorrente]

(I couldn't find the original, but here's the line...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_0uEha_ ... be&t=2m58s

Welcome back.