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Yesterday, thousands of websites took part in a massive organized protest, denying users access to popular services such as Wikipedia, Reddit and WordPress in an act of mock censorship. It drew attention to a pair of bills designed to stop Internet piracy, yet which risk harming websites reliant upon user-generated content.
This protest was widely successful, as the supporters of the Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) were thrown on the defensive. The SOPA/PIPA battle, however, is about a lot more than just protecting the Internet. It should show every American that our congressmen, be they Republican or Democratic, federal or state, are being bought. They are ignoring the people they represent and shirking their oaths to the founding documents designed to limit their power.
The Internet outcry forced supporters of these draconian bills to back off. They renounced their positions, claiming something along the lines of "we need to fight piracy in a manner that does not harm the free and open Internet."
Now, it may seem the battle is won, but it should annoy every last citizen that it was only when the public's gaze was fixed upon supporters of SOPA/PIPA that they changed their minds. It should annoy every last citizen that those politicians thought they could go behind our backs and strip away our rights when we were not looking.
So now what to do? For starters, do not forget what was done yesterday. Remember that in the end, the people in Washington are your representatives. The Internet protest has proven they will and must bow to the desires of the electorate. You are not powerless against lobbyists run amok. Democracy grants you a greater power than posting a Facebook status. Pay attention to the news and make an uproar whenever politicians' integrity fails them and they think they can take away your right to free speech, your right to a fair trial, your right to bear arms, etc.
If you are 18 and you have not registered to vote, do so. If you have not called your senator or representative about the issues important to you, do so. Sure, it is easy to sign an online petition on Google or re-tweet what John Stewart said about topic X, but remember, it is your government. When you fail to take the two minutes to print off a voter registration form, fill it out, mail it and make your voice heard, then you are not being part of the solution.
With regards to SOPA/PIPA, the war is not yet won, nor will it ever be. If you want the 1 percent to be held accountable, Obama will not do it for you. If you want marijuana legalized, Ron Paul will not do it for you. Believe it or not, we still live in a democracy, and you bear the responsibility of governing - not the other people reading this column, not the pundits on TV, not Reddit or Google, not your mom or dad, and sure as hell not your congressmen. You do.
Kyle O'Donnell is a first-year Engineering student.
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