Stand Up and Fight: A Week of Action Against Censorship

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Action for Freedom — 1 Comment

When the government claims the right to shut down websites by breaking the Domain Name System and forcing search engines to dump user requests to reach a site, there’s only one word for it: censorship. And when big media groups like the RIAA can essentially cut off the financial services to a website based on accusation alone, it’s censorship at the hands of corporations.

We’re not talking about China or Iran. We’re talking about blacklist legislation being debated by the U.S. House of Representatives this week.

EFF and a coalition of organizations, tech companies, innovators, and users are joining forces to fight back against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a bill that would give the government and big content unprecedented authority to censor the web in the name of so-called copyright enforcement. This week, we need to pull out all the stops because the House Judiciary Committee is slated to hold a critical hearing on Thursday.

SOPA’s supporters are desperate to rush this bill through quickly by convincing Congress there’s no real opposition to it. We know better, but we need to make our voices heard. That’s why we’re calling on you to join us in a dedicated week of action against the SOPA blacklist bill.

We’re kicking off our Week of Action Against Censorship with a toolkit for anti-SOPA activism, and urging you to call your Representatives in Congress. With the hearing imminent, there’s no time to waste. Pick up the phone and tell your Representative to oppose this bill today. Then tell your friends and follow up with a note to Congress.

This legislation, if passed, will wreak havoc on our Internet community, jeopardizing the innovative and creative ecosystem that has created hundreds of thousands of jobs, helped countless people access information, and spurred a new generation of artists and creators. But big media groups are willing to sacrifice all of that in a ham-fisted attempt to control how you consume online content. And in the process, they’ll undoing long-standing legal protections for websites and endangering the basic infrastructure of the Net.

We can’t let that happen. So join us in standing up and speaking out. Show Congress that we’re willing to fight for an uncensored web, and deep-pocketed lobbyists will never drown out the voices of the Internet community.

A Week of Action Against Censorship

We’ll be adding to this list daily. Check back to see what you can do to join the fight!

Day One:

Toolkit for Anti-SOPA Activism

Action Alert! Call Congress Now

What’s Wrong with SOPA (One-page PDF handout)