Why is Black Box on Google?
Many people woke up this morning, turned on their computers, and asked themselves, ‘why is the black box on Google?‘ If you’re one of the millions that questioned this censorship box, then Google’s disapproval of the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is very clear. We’d like to provide you with a list of sites that are blacked out in protest of SOPA as well as both sides of the story from the supporters of the anti-piracy law and the protestors. Then you’ll truly be able to answer the question, ‘why is the black box on Google?’
Why is the Black Box on Google? | The Meaning of the Blackout
So why is there an internet blackout in protest of SOPA? Why didn’t those in opposition of SOPA simply sit down with legislators and come to some sort of consensus on the act? Well first of all most of us aren’t gullible enough to really believe that the latter works, and really the internet blackout is symbolic of whats to come for the web if SOPA goes into effect. Mashable explains in their report on ‘why is the black box on Google?‘
The consensus among many experts, Internet users, web companies and even the White House, is that SOPA is too restrictive, too dangerous, too complicated and too big of a threat to our privacy.
In a way, today’s blackout shows what the Internet might look if some of the principles in SOPA start being enforced as law. Do you like seeing big “CLOSED” signs on your favorite websites? Neither do we.
Why is the Black Box on Google? | Stop SOPA
The Stop SOPA protest is the largest online protest in history. Here are some of websites that are participating in the Stop SOPA blackout today as provided by SOPA Strike, the full list was just to long to include:
Why is the Black Box on Google? | The Other Side of the Story
In all fairness we felt it necessary to share the other side of the story. The BBC reports on those in favor of SOPA:
“Some technology business interests are resorting to stunts that punish their users or turn them into their corporate pawns, rather than coming to the table to find solutions to a problem that all now seem to agree is very real and damaging,” said Senator Chris Dodd, the chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America.
“It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information… A so-called ‘blackout’ is yet another gimmick, albeit a dangerous one, designed to punish elected and administration officials who are working diligently to protect American jobs from foreign criminals.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16612628
Here’s my problem with that theory. Sure its great that the government wishes to protect Americans from foreign criminals and piracy, however those participating in copyright infringement would simply change their URL once shut down by the internet. Other sites that are simply accused on conspiracy would lose revenue to their business. Censorship of the internet by the government is not the answer!
Why is the Black Box on Google? | Conclusion
In conclusion, I thought our readers would be interested to know that although Wikipedia is down for the most part today, there is one page still open: SOPA. Now you have the answer to why is the black box on Google?’ share this information with your friends.
Image attribution: http://www.pysnnoticias.com/
If you enjoyed reading ‘Why is the Black Box on Google?’ then read more right here at Black Box Social Media.