The Gorgon sisters:
SOPA, PIPA and LIRA
I may not be a geek or know much
about technology, but even I had to admit that since a couple of months the web
has been hit by a storm called SOPA and PIPA and I had to get involved in order
to know what it’s truly about.
Also, newly emerged is LIRA: the Lebanese
version of SOPA and since this one truly hits close to home I had to speak up.
Therefore, before I start I need to explain why I have decided to call them the
Gorgon sisters.
SOPA (the "Stop Online Piracy
Act") and PIPA (the "PROTECT IP Act") are bills in the U.S. These bills are presented as efforts to stop
copyright infringement committed by foreign web sites. It’s perfectly
understandable, but they do so in a way that would disrupt free expression and
harm the Internet.
In
Greek mythology, the Gorgon was a terrifying female creature. The name
derives from the Greek word gorgós, which means "dreadful."
While descriptions of Gorgons vary across Greek literature, the term commonly
refers to any of three sisters who had hair of living, venomous snakes, and a
horrifying visage that turned those who beheld it to stone. Traditionally,
while two of the Gorgons were immortal, Stheno and Euryale, their sister Medusa
was not, and was slain by the mythical demigod and hero Perseus.
This
deadly trio leaves you speechless and breathless that is why I chose this comparison,
if you remember Wikipedia blacked out its page when the voting for these bills
took place. I cannot imagine a world without free knowledge, where ones freedom
is bound. The internet is supposed to be as free as the wind.
How
does this affects us? Well me as a blogger, I cannot put an image or logo or
anything that may be copyrighted or my blog will be shut down.
Say
goodbye to Facebook and Twitter or if they do stay everything will be
controlled , thousands of Youtube videos will be removed, no more torrents,
movies online, music… in short, no more internet as we know it.
What
can we do? The US citizens have the most influence in this case since they can call
their state senators and not allow the bill to pass to the House of
Representatives. Even us, we can help because after all it’s an international
crises by staying informed and informing everybody you know.
You may also sign petitions online such as this
one:
Finally,
why we have such oppression: by keeping the people in the dark and not being
able to communicate freely, governments can control all media and what gets out
to the public. I remember a great movie: V for Vendetta that sums these
actions. Stay tuned for The anonymous who are operating hard against the bills,
they have threatened to hack and disrupt the internet if these bills become
active laws.
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