Would The House Online Anti-Piracy Bill Lead to Internet Censorship?

Would The House Online Anti-Piracy Bill Lead to Internet Censorship?:

• The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was introduced as a House bill
  (similar to the Protect IP Act introduced in the Senate earlier this
  year) to protect intellectual property from “rouge” websites; it’s
  especially at foreign websites.


• The Bill is supported by groups like Hollywood and drug companies,
  while several others like Google, eBay, AOL and more oppose the bill for
  fear of censorship and hindered online innovation.


• Social media sites where users may be sharing pirated material could be shut down if this bill became law.


• The House Judiciary Committee heard a panel of six stakeholders — five in favor of the bill and one against.

The House Judiciary Committee had its first hearing for the
proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, which would give law enforcement the
ability to remove websites deemed as infringing on copywrite laws and
protect against counterfeit goods. Although this sounds like something
everyone can agree on, with the way the bill’s current language,
opposition worries over broader enforcement and infringement of freedom
of speech, even dubbing “American Censorship Day.”

American Censorship, the group sponsoring American Censorship Day,
says on its website if the bill were to become law in its current form, sites like Tumblr and Facebook would be shut down. The infographic above details how American Censorship sees the bill affecting online innovation. (Continue reading this story).