There are a lot of web sites blacked out today...a big protest against the government’s (or should we just say Hollywood's, since they're the major backers?) proposed answer to fighting online piracy. As far as I’m concerned, these two laws will be just as effective as DRM (that’s “digital rights management” for books) – they’ll punish more honest people than they will thwart piracy. And the pirates will find ways around it anyway – any computer or network programmer will tell you that.

Censorship is never the answer to any problem, in my opinion. Whether it’s people telling us what we can read, or what kind of music we can listen to, or what web sites we can visit – it never actually stops the people who want that information from getting it. In fact, it usually just makes them want it more, and do whatever it takes to get it. The people who want it bad enough will find a way, and those who are willing to abide by the rules are screwed out of the freedom to make their own choices.

How do we deal with internet piracy? I don’t have a clue...and I have to be honest, I’m just not all that worried about it. Yes, people pirate my books. No, I don’t lose any sleep over it. Those people wouldn’t buy a copy anyway, in my opinion. I’m well aware that plenty of people disagree with me, and that’s fine. Those of you who feel strongly about it are welcome to find a solution, if you can...

...as long as that solution doesn’t impede my ability to view whatever web site I want to visit, and allows me to link to other web sites without fearing that my site will be shut down due to the other site’s behaviors or links.

Obviously, I’m not blacking out my site(s) today. Because it would be hypocritical of me to limit your ability to view content while protesting laws that would do exactly that (I understand the logic of doing just that, I just don’t necessarily agree w/it). I’m not going offline either – I work on the web, it’s my “home”, so to speak, and going offline to make a point about having access to things online also seems a bit backwards. I will, however, be basing at least a portion of my voting decisions this year based on how the legislators from my state act/react to SOPA/PIPA, and I’m doing something I almost never do and sharing a political opinion in public.

I am closing the comments today – if you have an opinion, by all means, write it up, and post it in your online space.

For more information about these laws, Google has a fairly straight-forward run down here, or do a search (yes, you can still search Google), and you’ll find a plethora of articles about the issue. 

Thanks for indulging me. *steps off soapbox*