SOPA At UHS

“Imagine a world without free knowledge.”
This, and a primarily blank screen, is what Internet users saw as they went to Wikipedia’s site on January 18.
Wikipedia was undergoing a blackout.
The United States Congress introduced the Stop Online Piracy Act, also known as SOPA, in an attempt to fight online trafficking. Copyright infringements could lead to an entire website shutting down and a maximum prison sentence of five years for those responsible.
Since this, major controversy has aroused. There are worries about the potential threat to “free speech” and “innovation.” Protests to this bill were not limited to Washington, D.C., however.
For the past week, Urbana High School has been debating SOPA and its implications for the future of the Internet.
The UHS Creative Writing Club wore black to school on January 16 in protest.
Freshman and Creative Writing Club member Elizabeth Coffman-Mackey said, “I believe SOPA violates our freedom of speech and takes censorship much too far. SOPA would bring about the end of young artists getting their start on the internet.”
Teenager’s frequent use of social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Tumbler has made SOPA a topic of interest and outrage to those attending high school.
Not only do UHS students depend on the Internet to connect with friends and do homework outside of school, technology is very prominent in their curriculum. The computer labs are almost always occupied in some way, whether it’s by a class or an individual.
The operation of The Echo would drastically change, as well. Journalists rely on an online blog to post articles that will eventually be published on the online newspaper.
Even writing this article now would present a challenge.
Coffman-Mackey said, “I feel like SOPA protests everywhere have brought people together and really shown congress what we can do as a democracy.”
All students would lead very different lives if the Internet was censored. Often researching, typing a paper, instant messaging with friends, or simply posting thoughts are taken for granted.