Ever heard of the Florida-based bill labeled “SB-604?” You probably haven’t, and that’s a bad thing. Of course, what I’m referring to is the resurfacing of SOPA/PIPA-like bill that would give power to record labels over the internet, in the state of Florida.
We all remember the SOPA/PIPA fiasco as if it were yesterday. Surprisingly, that was three years ago. The very thought of SOPA/PIPA still gives those in the know trembles as it was so close to being passed—on a federal level. What SOPA was (its an acronym meaning STOP ONLINE PRIVACY ACT), was proposed by Republican Texas man (shocker), and was designed to “expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods.” Yeah, sure, that sounds all fine and dandy, but that’s only the surface of what was otherwise a very scary bill that would have allowed the government unlimited access to the Internet, pretty much entirely.
What wasn’t so easy for people to know was that it could have taken a single blog stating an opinion about something, or maybe even using something without permission, to get the entire domain shut down by the government. It would have impeded so many God-given rights we as Americas are entitled to. Of course, the bill didn’t pass. That wasn’t to say it was easy; it wasn’t—which makes the thought of the bill that much scarier. It took serious lobbying (and therefore, lots of money) from Internet giants like Google and Wikipedia to prevent the bill from being passed. To raise awareness, said sites even held “blackouts,” which is where they literally shut down their sites, only leaving a message as to why they were doing so, and it really woke some Americans up.
Politicians are crooked, that really is no surprise. I’m not sitting here bashing every single politician ever, but damn, SOPA is as shady as it gets as far as bills are concerned. It was a power play that didn’t pan out—we wouldn’t let it happen. That’s to say, we wouldn’t let it happen on a nationwide, federal level. This isn’t stopping other power hungry politicians, however. I mean, what’s that cliché-ass saying, if at first you don’t succeed, then try again? Well, politicians are abiding by that rule and well, are trying again.
Those who wanted SOPA to pass didn’t consider that backlash us internet-users would have (but hello, we’re on the internet, we know everything now!). To put it more plainly, though, is that those who wanted it to pass screwed themselves over by going for the throat so early and trying to get it to pass on a federal level. This is where bill “SB-604” comes in. It’s not exactly SOPA/PIPA, but it’s already earning nicknames like “SOPA-light,” or “Florida’s SOPA.”
We all know the recording industry really is in a rut. “SB-604” is essentially trying to save them, but only in Florida. Of course, that’s just part of the bigger picture. Politicians are just trying to sneak SOPA back into the conversation. There are bills similar to SB-604 in states all over the country, and just like SOPA/PIPA, it’s up to us to stop it from passing. State-level inquiries of such bills is smart on the part of politicians as internet giants like Google aren’t exactly power players in specific states (especially Florida, shockingly). There isn’t a contradicting voice telling politicians to stop, and if someone doesn’t speak up soon, people in Florida will have some serious rights impeded on a constant basis.
SOPA never died, it just went into hiding. Now it’s trying to mount a vicious, scary comeback that only us Americans can stop. More attention needs to be brought this as soon as possible. If we don’t do anything to stop it, the Internet as we know it will never be the same.
calannelson 