Jon Skulski

Hey. So the internet could end. For reals.

The Internet is being threatened by poorly written legislation. I wouldn’t be posting this unless I really believed it was bad. This is not a political issue. It is a misguided piece of legislation that puts the country in danger. The passage of this legislation would cripple the innovation that we’ve seen from technology industry, one of few industries to help sustain the economy during the latest recession. Practically every industry benefits form the internet, smart & mobile phones, etc. That means, these bills will impact every industry in the US.

SOPA and PIPA are two bills that were introduced to combat piracy. Not only are they ineffective against piracy, they are so poorly and vaguely written that they endanger the democratic nature of the Internet. I’ll argue all day that locks never stopped determined thieves and the smarter solution is to make it easy for people to pay for content, but that doesn’t matter. The threat is so massive, so broad-stroked that we could loose a technology as important as the printing press or the assembly line. The technology industry, the people who live this stuff, are mad as hell and also really afraid.

By the way, SOPA and PIPA provides a tool that could kill tumblr.com because I linked to that video. No, I don’t mean my blog, that’s already available. I mean the entire domain of tumblr.com. The same would be true of any site that allows users to publish content. Under SOPA/PIPA, the liability for businesses is so great that the internet is no longer a place where users can publish anything. So, that there is the rub. It’s not about whether I should be allowed to post a copyrighted video, it’s about an attack on the foundations of the internet. If SOPA/PIPA existed ten years ago, there would be no Google, Facebook, or Twitter.

What kind of entrepreneur is going to invest 3 blood-sweat-years in a business that can be swiped away so readily? None. Will an investor is going to fund a business with that kind of risk? Nope. So, I can’t post about my breakfast. How is that a big deal? It’s a big deal because Facebook employs over 4,000 people that allow you to upload a picture of your greek omelet. That’s 4,000 highly skilled created while the rest of the economy was washing away. But it doesn’t just stop those jobs from being created. Progress is not gonna stop. It will just take the path of least resistance. The US tech industry will become severely burdened, companies will move to other countries to avoid these risks, and our smartest and most talented people will move to where the jobs are.

Besides just introducing insane business risks, these bills will maim future generations of innovators by limiting access to information and online communities. Social media sites are just one example of sites that depend on user generated content. Online communities also have existed around software development since the beginning. Today, sites like github.com are taking it to the next level, making it that much easier to connect and learn. These developer communities also are endangered by SOPA/PIPA. 

Picture a teenager. She’s really bright, especially in math and science. She’s so bright that even advanced math bores her. Either this kid can feel unchallenged long enough until she’s sure that she hates learning. Or she can watch the clock, anxiously waiting to run home to jump online and see solve a problem or see if her contribution was accepted. These smart, unchallenged kids are the kinds of people who grow up to create growth and value. I know, because I’ve had the privilege to work along side many of them. These are the kids who need to learn on their own, by doing and playing. If they don’t have this outlet, our talent won’t develop, and our industry will shrink.

We have seen the internet based tech industry maintain growth and profitability during a severe recession. We have seen it become one of the US’s strongest industries in a couple decades. We have seen it deeply impact the way people communicate and collaborate. We have also seen it become a foundation for so many other industries. Why in the world would we want to ignore so many industry leaders when they say that this legislation is dangerous?

These bills are scheduled to be brought to vote on Janurary, 24th. You can help: 

• Call and email your representatives. Acknowledge that voice in your head that says it won’t help, but do it anyway. It will help and you will feel good about it.
• Learn more about this threat. It’s important to be informed. Read about it and you will find that this isn’t a political issue. It’s not an argument for piracy. It is a warning against a misguided attempt to protect the media industry by crippling the technology industry.
• Spread this information along. That’s the beautify of the internet, something as powerful and spreading important information is so easy that it seems trivial. But it’s not trivial, it is crucial.

Thanks for reading. Seriously, thank you.

Here’s a copy of the letter I sent around to my congresspeople. Feel free to use any part or all of it to contact yours. 

Senator Feinstein,

I am writing to urge you to defend our rightful access to information.

As you know, the SOPA and PIPA bills will be brought to vote on January 24th. I know your time is valuable but it is your duty to fully understand the disastrous consequences of these bills.

1.) SOPA/PIPA do not effectively combat piracy. 

Defending companies against piracy is important but SOPA/PIPA barely address the issue of piracy. These bills introduce dangerous political tools that can and will be used for censorship. [1] These are not speculations. Even in the last 10 years, there are plenty of examples of political agendas disguised as a copyright infractions[2].

It is essential to understand that the Internet Community is not interested in pirating copyrighted material. We are trying to preserve the democratic Internet, a technology as revolutionary as the printing press or the assembly line. Even in it’s early life, the Internet has changed the way we communicate and learn. If the Internet is preserved, we will continue to experience the growth and prosperity. Not only as a nation, but as a species.

2.) PIPA/SOPA will maim the US’s tech industry and drive it to other countries.

Innovative tech leaders (Google, Wikipedia, Y Combinator and MANY more[3]) warn that PIPA/SOPA will seriously injure innovation in the US and drive it to other countries. Given the United State’s current economic situation, this is an especially serious consequence. We cannot afford to give away one of our strongest industries.

Our objections are based in a deeply held belief that the brilliant innovation we have seen in the last 20 years depends on the democratic, open nature of the Internet. Not only is the Internet Services Industry on of our strongest, it is  now fundamentally supportive with almost every other industry[4]. One of the reasons that the US is a technological world leader is the Internet. The current structure of the Internet fosters communities to that attract bright, motivated youths and give them tremendous opportunities. The return for the US is a vibrant tech community. 

I am just one example. As a teenager that was bored by school, I used the Internet as an outlet to learn and collaborate with programmers all around the world. Today, I make my living as a software developer because I had access to the free Internet. I spend my days creating websites for organizations like OXFAM, Stanford and MIT. I also spend my days contributing back to communities that provide opportunities that I had. These communities need to be defended to keep the US economy strong.

3.) SOPA/PIPA are attacks on personal freedom and our civil rights. 

We are not defending access to copyrighted material. We are defending access to information, knowledge and community. These bills contain broad language authored by Senators with no significant technology experience. I will also note that the entertainment industry is Rep. Lamar Smith’s largest campaign contributor[5]. Does that not raise the question who benefits from these bills?  

The bill doesn’t serve the US American people or the US economy. It is a clumsy bill that will become a weapon against the US economy, small businesses, families and motivated and creative individuals.

4.) SOPA/PIPA cut the nose to spite the face.

I agree with the media industry that piracy needs to be combated, but these attempts are over-reactive and self-destructive.

The Internet attracts very bright, talented people. They have and will develop tools to sidestep SOPA/PIPA. Ironically, the US State Dept is funding development of similar tools to help those inside repressive regimes[6]. SOPA/PIPA will end piracy like locks have ended theft. If there is a profit to be made, then people will figure out a way.

The solution is simple, actually. Make content access easy and affordable and the people will choose that route. We have seen successful examples of this: netflix.com, hulu.com, and rdio.com. We have also seen the media industry resisting this change. We can not afford to harm the US because media companies are stubborn.

5.) Congress needs to demonstrate that they work for the US American People. 

As I write this, Congress approval is around 13%. Only 13 out of 100 US Americans only approve of their leaders. This is terrifying. SOPA/PIPA are another message to the population that our leaders are not interested in our well-being.

The US American people don’t just need leaders they approve of, we need leaders that we believe in. We need bold leaders that inspire faith and courage in our hearts. This is your opportunity to restore our faith in the American Government. Please, please seize this opportunity.

Thank you for your time,

Jonathan Skulski

Please review the attached links to fully understand why these bills should be derailed.

[1] http://blog.reddit.com/2012/01/technical-examination-of-sopa-and.html - A thourough examination of why these bills will cripple the internet and 

[2] https://www.eff.org/takedowns - A list examples of persons/organizations using copyright censorship to accomplish a political agenda.

[3] https://www.cdt.org/report/list-organizations-and-individuals-opposing-sopa - Industry leaders are rallying against this bill. 

[4] http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2009/performers/industries/profits/ - Ranking of US industries. Notice that in addition to being a economy leaders, the technology industry fundamentally supports other top industries. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find an industry that has not been bolstered by the technology industry.

[5] http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00001811 - Rep. Lamar Smith’s campaign contribution breakdown.

[6] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-20/u-s-funds-help-democracy-activists-evade-internet-crackdowns.html - US State Dept funding