Free Talk Live

SOPA and PIPA have been shelved but the government’s plan to censor the public is an ongoing threat. Enter the "Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement" aka ACTA, an international trade agreement whose supposed sole purpose is to forge ahead with tackling counterfeited goods and -- suprise, surprise -- copyright infringement.

When sites like Wikipedia and Reddit banded together for a major blackout January 18th, the impact was felt all the way to Washington D.C. The blackout had lawmakers running from the controversial anti-piracy legislation, SOPA and PIPA, which critics said threatened freedom of speech online.

Unfortunately for free-speech advocates, these pieces of legislation are not the only laws which threaten an open internet.

Few people have heard of ACTA

SOPA replacement uses child porn as excuse to spy on 99.7 percent of Americans SOPA author Lamar Smith pushing bill to make web sites track every user's every move

The SOPA and PIPA bills that went down in flames earlier this year for their unbearable intrusiveness, used content piracy as an excuse to give the government powerful tools with which to censor Internet content.

What does a bill like PIPA/SOPA mean to our shareable world? At the TED offices, Clay Shirky delivers a proper manifesto -- a call to defend our freedom to create, discuss, link and share, rather than passively consume.

Just last month millions of Americans rallied to defeat SOPA and PIPA. However, something worse has crept in the back-door and may not be able to be repealed. In October 2011, President Obama signed an international agreement called the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement or ACTA.

Storyline: SOPA Controversy Explained

SOPA and PIPA: Just the Facts
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) have been making headlines, but what are they, exactly? Here are the facts.

The Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act are getting more negative attention, as major websites such as Wikipedia plan to protest the bills with blackouts on Wednesday. Even Google will join the action, with a link on its homepage explaining why the company opposes the legislation.

If you haven't heard, the ethically questionable web host known as GoDaddy is supporting SOPA. In addition to their terrible customer service and elephant-killing CEO, GoDaddy is backing the bill that wants to cripple your internet as if it's some sort of moral obligation. That means you can't expect GoDaddy to have your back if SOPA passes. They'll just shut you down for a potential violation. (Although apparently they're already doing that.) If you didn't get around to ditching them already, there's no time like the present.

Imagine surfing the internet without being able to watch videos on YouTube, share with your friends on FaceBook, look at pictures of your best friend's new baby on Flickr or read news headlines from reddit. Luckily this is not reality, though it could be if the Congress passes H.R. 3261 the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

Essentially, SOPA would claim the federal government “owns” the internet and will have the ability shut-down any website that commits a copyright infringement, whether willfully or not.

Imagine a world where something does not even have to be a copy to be covered by “copyright” – it could just be similar. Check the 2 photos in the link to see what could breach “copyright” in the England
Overlay the powers of SOPA on to that…………..
Very scary.