SOPA gives individuals, corporations and the government unprecedented power to silence speech online

Armchair activists now have a tool that can transport their SOPA protestations into the real world: Boycott SOPA, an Android app that scans barcodes and tells you whether an object’s manufacturer / publisher is a supporter of the much maligned Stop Online Piracy Act.

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More on SOPA

- Web censorship from SOPA
- What’s wrong with SOPA?
- Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter considering “nuclear option” to protest SOPA
- Hate SOPA? So do we
- Final Project: Stop SOPA at Yale

What is SOPA?

The Protect IP Act (PIPA) is a U.S. Senate bill introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy. Along with its House counterpart Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the bills are designed to provide the government and copyright holders with powers to block access to "rogue websites dedicated to infringing or counterfeit goods," especially those registered outside the United States. Since its introduction on May 11th, 2011, the proposed bill has been met by opposition from various digital rights activists and bloggers for its encroachment in online activities protected under the first amendment of free speech. Congressional hearings for both bills began on November 16th.