Ask HN: Is it time to take SOPA protests to the streets? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Is it time to take SOPA protests to the streets?

We have collectively written thousands of articles educating about effects of SOPA. We have made phone calls and created special websites etc.

But, we are still on the same stream of funny cats and Lady Gaga. We may know the magnitude of effects of SOPA, but general public cannot gauge it, because they may very well misunderstand as, yet another "save whales", "drunk driving" campaign.

I think we can do better, when freedom is on the line.

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Occupy Wall St. arguably didn't do much to affect Washington, or the regulations that affect the firms that protesters were blaming.

I'm not experienced in these matters, but it seems to me like a wiser alternative would be to found some kind of Tech Lobby that advocates for policies that benefit the internet in Congress and educates members of Congress about the internet.

You will have to forgive my cynicism on this one, but industry lobby groups usually take on a life of their own much like a Union. The problem being that the money virtually insures that once formed, the lobby will live past it's useful lifetime.

As well Occupy did not do much to effect regulations because those in power do not feel the pressure to change. A group of people in the street does not generate the required economic or military pressure to regulators. It raises awareness, but it does not create pressure. The Occupy movement was trying to prolong the occupation to generate that pressure, but there are superior ways to generate that pressure more rapidly. I think the people trying to organize a tax revolt would probably have a larger effect should they be able to coordinate it, at which point the powers that be would feel the real need to reign themselves in.

What we need is more direct and visual support from the big internet players. Imagine if Google restricted all the YouTube videos for one day and simply stated "YouTube's future if SOPA passes". Or if Wikipedia blocked all their content for a day to make a stand.

Although very unlikely to actually happen, these actions would get the attention of the entire public and demonstrate the seriousness of the issue.

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