OPINION: Are The Days Of Free And Open Internet Over?

There’s a backlash underway against supporters of the Stop Online Privacy Act – known as SOPA. 

The legislation – which is currently stalled in Congress until next month – would give the federal government – working with major entertainment industries – the power to take down websites that may be displaying copyrighted material. 

Domain registrar GoDaddy.com publicly supported SOPA – and now has seen more than 120,000 domain names transferred from its services thanks to a groundswell of Internet activism calling for boycotts on GoDaddy. 

Meanwhile – two main proponents of the Internet censorship legislation – Republican Senator Bob Corker – and Republican Representative Paul Ryan are being target in an online campaign calling for people to dig up dirt on them and ruin their political careers. 

Sadly, the days of a free and open Internet will be numbered if SOPA becomes law.