Odd that there is no explanation here, like we are simply supposed to take it that we understand it.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/17/technology/sopa_explained/index.htm
Who supports SOPA, and who's against it? The controversial pair of bills, SOPA and PIPA, have sparked an all-out war between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. In general, media companies have united in favor of them, while tech's big names are throwing their might into opposing them.
SOPA's supporters -- which include CNNMoney parent company Time Warner (TWX, Fortune 500), plus groups such as the Motion Picture Association of America -- say that online piracy leads to U.S. job losses because it deprives content creators of income.
The bill's supporters dismiss accusations of censorship, saying that the legislation is meant to revamp a broken system that doesn't adequately prevent criminal behavior.
But SOPA's critics say the bill's backers don't understand the Internet's architecture, and therefore don't appreciate the implications of the legislation they're considering.
These are two opposing sides, both with interests. So far nothing that claims the government will censor anything. The Hollywood side naturally doesn't want its works pirated. The tech side naturally doesn't want enforcement of their rights to cost them more:
Sites like YouTube, which publishes millions of user-uploaded videos each week, are worried that they would be forced to more closely police that content to avoid running afoul of the new rules.
"YouTube would just go dark immediately," Google public policy director Bob Boorstin said at a conference last month. "It couldn't function."
No discussion or consideration allowed, I guess. Just go with the side you're told to go with. Lockstep, no questions asked.
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