Ok so I’m sure you’ve heard about the legislation moving through Congress about censorship and the internet. I’m not going to get into it but if you have no idea what I’m talking about check this out. You can also just do a search and find tons of information on SOPA & PIPA and you’ll see how dangerous this legislation can be. This is why we want to help our fellow gamers out there get involved and help in the fight against censorship. This is why we are dedicating today’s top 5 to the best ways to get involved and keep the internet free and open.
5. Do your research – The best thing you can do before you do anything is read up on the subject. Go anywhere and read about what this legislation is proposing and form an opinion about it. There are tons of information out there so put it to use and get informed. This is also going to make sure you can speak intelligently about the topic which is required for the next steps in this top 5.
4. Get the word out about whats going on - Get on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Google+, or whatever you prefer and let your friends, family and the rest of the world know what is happening. The more people know what the problem is, the more action will take place. This is just the start though since letting someone else know what to do is just the foundation of greater change.
3. Sign a Petition and Join the Campaign - There are a number of petitions going around but I would suggest either AmericanCensorship.org or Google’s End Piracy, Not Liberty Campaign. By doing this you are adding your voice to the hundreds of thousands of other people who feel the same way you do. This gives the organizations planning these campaigns the power to prove that this isn’t the right thing to do. The more signatures they have the more power that petition will hold and the more likely our representatives will listen to the call.
2. Write your local representative and let them know how you feel – Get out your pen and paper and write a letter to your senator or congressman and tell them what you think. Believe it or not your representatives or someone working with your representative will read that letter. Some people may even get a personal response but either way you will get an answer as to where your reps stand on the issue. This will let you know if you need to keep urging your reps to oppose the bill or not. Either way your voice is reaching the ears that need to listen to it. To contact your representative do one or both of the following: go here to ask your local Congressman to oppose SOPA, go here to ask your local Senator to oppose PIPA
1. Call your local representative and let them know how you feel - I know it is a little daunting but the most effective thing you can do is actually speak to someone in your representative’s office. Tell them what you think and ask if your representative is thinking the same way you are. If not find out why and let your voice be heard, literally. Your representative is there for you and technically you put them there. By letting them know what you think, you are going to have the most direct effect in the outcome of these votes by influencing the people actually making the vote. That is some serious influence. To contact your representative do one or both of the following: go here to ask your local Congressman to oppose SOPA, go here to ask your local Senator to oppose PIPA
Get out there and make a change!