Major Websites Protest PIPA and SOPA Bills with Blackouts and Petition Links

Many websites today are doing their part to spread the word about SOPA and PIPA, two House bills that are designed to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. The LA Times writes, “Supporters of the legislation say it would target foreign websites trading in stolen intellectual property, including movies and music. Critics say it would unfairly penalize legitimate websites too, such as the online classified ad service Craigslist or the photo sharing service Flickr” – which is just the start of the impact critics say these bills could have on free speech across the Internet.

In protest, thousands of Internet sites, including Wikipedia and Google, have either shut down or temporarily blacked out to draw attention to the issues. These websites encourage users to contact their representatives, sign petitions, and do their part to make noise about shutting down these two controversial bills. As a result, several PIPA and SOPA co-sponsors have already abandoned the bill within a matter of hours of the Jan. 18 blackout.

It’s exciting to witness how various websites are expressing their dissidence for the two bills. To learn more about how SOPA and PIPA could potentially affect your online rights, check out what CBS News has to say. To get involved in the conversation, check out what Twitter users are discussing with the hashtag #SOPA.