• .@nwprogressive: Senators Wyden, Cantwell ready to stand up to protect the Internet from censorship bills

Northwest Progressive Institute Advocate – In a matter of days, the United States Senate may be voting on an extremely dangerous bill backed by the entertainment industry that would allow powerful media conglomerates and other big corporations to censor the Internet at will.

This bill, S. 968, which we’ve previously written about, is officially known as the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 – PROTECT IP, or PIPA, for short.

Ostensibly, S. 698 is intended to protect “intellectual property”, as the title suggests. Executives at Hollywood studios, publishing houses, and record companies have long wanted to “cableize” the Internet, because it would give them control over the medium. They want to be able to decide when and how everyone timeshifts or spaceshifts content, and to what extent (if any) content may be shared with others.

(Timeshifting refers to the practice of recording programming for use later, or playing and reading on demand. Spaceshifting refers to the practice of making digital copies of content – for instance, ripping a compact disc and putting the resulting MP3 or Vorbis tracks on one’s portable music player).

If big media gets their way and the Internet gets cableized, it will cease to exist as we know it today. Net neutrality will be a thing of the past. Censorship will replace freedom of expression. Innovation will be stifled.

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