Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is going to be reading names of censorship opponents from the floor of the Senate during his expected filibuster of the PROTECT IP Act. You can ask to have your name read -- and ask your senators to vote no -- by visiting StopCensorship.org.
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) would ruin so much of what's best about the Internet: They will give the government and corporations new powers to block Americans' access to sites that are accused of copyright infringement, force sites like YouTube to go to new lengths to police users' contributions, and put people in prison for streaming certain content online.
The uglier a prospective filibuster looks, the less likely it is that leadership will call for a vote before Christmas break. PROTECT IP already passed through Senate Judiciary, and the understanding is that Reid wants to push for a vote soon, so he can claim a bi-partisan victory on a (bogus) jobs bill.
Senator Wyden just issued this new statement on the fight against Internet censorship, and you can check out his call-to-arms video below and at StopCensorship.org.
The filibuster affords senators an opportunity to stand up for what they believe in and there are few things I believe in more than ensuring that every American has a voice and an opportunity to get ahead.
Right now, the Internet gives every American that voice while making it possible for every entrepreneur, thinker and innovator to compete alongside the biggest and most moneyed interests.
It is my hope that -- with your help - my colleagues in Congress will realize that a free and open Internet is something that we as Americans should celebrate and not allow those special moneyed interests to quash.
It is my hope that -- with your help -- my colleagues in Congress will realize that PIPA/SOPA are the wrong way to protect intellectual property because the price they exact on the Internet is too high.
With your help, I believe we can get that word out and prevent these misguided bills from every reaching the House and Senate floor, but if they do reach the floor you can count on me to stand up and make our voices heard.