We try to not get too political but this is important!
A war has broken out on the World Wide Web – measures to ensure copyright protection have crossed the line and our freedom to browse and share is now under threat. While piracy and illegal downloading do have consequences, SOPA or the Stop Online Piracy Act will affect the flow of information online and while it would cut down on piracy it would also stop you accessing entire sites/domains if those places are deemed to be infringing on copyrighted material.
SOPA was a US government initiative but it has since found home here in Ireland and we’re not bloody impressed! A new law proposed by the Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, Sean Sherlock, will not face discussion or debate in the Oireachtas meaning the people elected to represent us the people will not have the chance to consider the implications of the bill, so to put it short – WE HAVE NO SAY!
What is “Ireland’s SOPA”?SOPA is the name of a piece of US legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act, recently proposed in the US. It caused an Internet-wide outcry due to its far-reaching implications; way beyond simply closing access to outlaw file sharing websites, it would have enabled law enforcement to block access to entire internet domains due to infringing material posted on a single blog or webpage. A similar proposal is about to become law in Ireland. And while 7 million Americans contacted their representatives to say No to SOPA in the US, Irish citizens will not get that chance because the new law in Ireland is not being voted on in the Oireachtas. Instead, the law is being enacted by ministerial order. This new law will give music and movie companies the legal leverage to force Irish ISPs like UPC, Eircom and mobile networks to block access to sites suspected of having copyrighted material on them. It also means judges can order ISPs to block access to sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter where an individual user from anywhere in the world has shared infringing material. www.StopSopaIreland.com |
Well screw that! We won’t accept this and neither should you! If you believe in civil rights, freedom of information and the right to surf the ENTIRE internet and not just what your government tells you, then please head over to Stop Sopa Ireland and sign the petition – they do work!
We’re also encouraging you to contact your local TD’s and demand this law be examined and voted upon! For a full list of TDs and to find your local representatives you can click this link!
If you’d prefer to email them and Minister Sherlock you can copy and paste this template (courtesy of Peter Larkin!):
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Dear [Insert T.D. Name here]: I call on you to investigate and question the proposed enactment of “S.I. No. of 2011 European Communities (Copyright and Related Rights) Regulations 2011.” This legislation subverts the democratic process, favours the special interests of corporations over the rights of individual citizens, will destroy the largest growth sector in the Irish economy, and will subject the citizens of Ireland to unwarranted and unintended censorship. The fact that such a wide reaching and important piece of legislation should be passed without an Oireachtas debate and vote is appalling and I ask you please to examine this matter and see if you can change it. Sincerely, [Your Name] |
Also we’ve done up an image and are now using it as our profile picture on Facebook! Please feel free to use the image and STOP SOPA IRELAND!
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
