Our View On SOPA/PIPA

In the United States legal system, the burden of proof is on the accuser, and people are innocent until proven guilty. However, a couple of “anti-piracy” bills are making their way through Congress which could flip this notion on its head by shutting down websites based on accusations alone and compelling third party providers to police their customers for possible violations. These bills are the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate.

Check out this short video for more info:

The Internet in general and the World Wide Web specifically, is truly the last frontier of freedom and we believe that any government meddling, no matter how well intentioned, will ultimately chip away at the freedom of individuals and smaller organizations. For this reason, we oppose these potential laws much like we opposed the ill-advised “net neutrality” bills of recent years.

However, unlike some other sites who have decided to stage a “black out” tomorrow (Wednesday, January 18, 2012), we will stay up and running and simply withhold from publishing any new material to show our solidarity in protest. We encourage all of our readers to look into this issue and take whichever action you feel necessary to voice your opinion.

— The Editors of Big Blue Bullfrog