Winds of Change

The internet is one of the most important social and commercial mediums that Americans enjoy today. People can connect with friends and family, view information, make purchases, and, most importantly, present their own information and opinions. The entire focus of web 2.0 is the users and what they think, as opposed to the large corporations that had control of the internet when it first became available to the public.

America is one of the few places left that has not censored the internet. Many governments across the world have either taken away public assess or censored the web. Many of these countries, such as Egypt, are now areas of great social unrest.  How would the U.S. be different if we had censored internet? A lot of people have never even considered this question. Unfortunately, the issue is now more pressing than ever as a new bill is sent to congress, one that many citizens know nothing about.

This video pretty much says it all:

 

This situation is extremely frightening, especially since the matter is not directly in the hands of citizens. The protesters of corporations of Wall Street seem to have the right idea, they just aren’t protesting anything specific. Well, this is it. Censoring the internet could make or break America as we know it. The  best course of action is to raise awareness, and fight for our right protected by the first amendment. The internet has become the core of the successes of many writers everywhere. Would we even be able to speak our thoughts and opinions at all if this law were put into place?

Just like the video pointed out, one of the main concerns is what this could lead to. If this bill becomes a law, we may be headed for the society that George Orwell himself cautioned us against. What will the government do next? take away our right to assemble? Supervise our every move? Enforce nationwide curfews and travel restrictions? The answer, again, is in the video. They will go as far as we will let them.