Congress considers censoring the internet

Wikipedia has been blacked out along with many other major websites. If the bill passes much of Wikipedia may have to be taken down. Youtube will definitely go. Regarding the proposed legislation, Wikipedia posted this:

Call your elected officials. 

Tell them you are their constituent, and you oppose SOPA and PIPA. 

Why? 

SOPA and PIPA would put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small sites won't have sufficient resources to defend themselves. Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their foreign competitors, even if copyright isn't being infringed. Foreign sites will be blacklisted, which means they won't show up in major search engines. SOPA and PIPA would build a framework for future restrictions and suppression.

In a world in which politicians regulate the Internet based on the influence of big money, Wikipedia — and sites like it — cannot survive.

Congress says it's trying to protect the rights of copyright owners, but the "cure" that SOPA and PIPA represent is worse than the disease. SOPA and PIPA are not the answer: they would fatally damage the free and open Internet.

Make the greatest impact by calling your Congressional Representative today. Hundreds of thousands of people are reaching out — email forms for your Representative may be broken.

These bills were originally put forward by Hollywood lobbyists working on behalf of major film and television studios. Basically all the passage of SOPA and PIPA (Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act) would do is benefit the robber barons of the media industry and hurt a multitude of small online businesses across the US and worldwide.

Previously, many believed this sort of censorship was only possible in China. Depending on the outcome of the consideration of these bills, the US may plunge headlong into internet censorship just like the country it is now embroiled in a cold war against. The American people's liberties are more curtailed the more the US government can get away with it. This has happened in leaps and bounds since 9/11. Now their internet freedom may be cut short as well.