On Jan. 18 at midnight Eastern time, one of the most widely recognized moments of unity opposing a government control of access to foreign web sites that may be committing online piracy of movies, music, and intellectual properties under copyright laws began. Some of the world’s largest internet businesses began shutting down internet access through their webpages and links in open revolt.
Websites like Mozilla and Wikipedia had shut down their search engines and other links which usually attract hundreds of thousands of hits daily, replacing their servicing with anti-censorship images in heavy opposition to the Congressional acts. Websites like YouTube remained open for the public to use and post videos, but in place of advertising banners and links, their main source of income, was completely blacked out in support of Internet freedoms instead of Internet dollars.
Elsewhere on social based websites like Facebook, and MySpace, a barrage of anti-SOPA images and “status updates” in rebellion being uploaded and shared repetitively in unified chants. Video links uploaded to the websites from music bands like Rage Against the Machine, and activist groups like Anonymous were among the multi-shared posts uploaded by users of the Facebook website, Twitter, and other news media comment sections. Among the posts was a link to the website HuffingtonPost, which was quoting a release of the White House press citing that President Obama would not support the two bills saying, “Moving forward, we will continue to work with Congress on a bipartisan basis on legislation that provides new tools needed in the global fight against piracy…”
Many comments posted to the link to the White House press release among the activists online were stating uncertainties in the President’s assurance of blocking the bills, citing similarities about statements made by President Obama involving passage of the National Defense Authorization Act only weeks ago, on Dec. 31, 2011.
Major Supporters of SOPA/PIPA According to Anonymous Members
-3M Company
-Adidas America
-Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
-Caterpillar Inc.
-CBS Corporation
-Comcast Corporation
-CVS Caremark
-Dollar General Corporation
-Electronic Arts, Inc.
-Ford Motor Company
-Harley-Davidson Motor Company
-HarperCollins Publishers
-Johnson & Johnson
-Lexmark International, Inc.
-L’Oréal USA
-Merck & Co., Inc.
-Major League Baseball
-Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA)
-National Association of Broadcasters
-National Basketball Association (NBA)
-National Football League (NFL)
-NBCUniversal
-News Corporation
-Nintendo of America Inc.
-Pfizer Inc.
-Rite Aid
-Rolex Watch USA Inc.
-Sony Electronics Inc.
-The McGraw-Hill Companies
-The Walt Disney Company
-Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc.
-U.S. Chamber of Commerce
-WAL-MART
-Zumba Fitness, LLC