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Ask HN: What practical steps have you taken against SOPA?

8 points by seagreen ↗ HN
I thought it would be useful to have a place to discuss strategy without it devolving into an argument about political theory.

Obviously this has very little to do with intellectual curiosity, so if you don't believe it belongs on HN let me know.

8 comments

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ggchappell
> I thought it would be useful to have a place to discuss strategy ....

Strategy for what?

To prevent it from passing, publicity and writing congressmen would seem to be the thing to do.

What to do if it passes is rather trickier.

And then there is what to do if it fails. It has been suggested that SOPA is actually designed to fail, but in the process to shift the Overton Window [1], so that previously unacceptable legislation becomes politically feasible. How to deal with a changed political climate, is also tricky.

> Obviously this has very little to do with intellectual curiosity, so if you don't believe it belongs on HN let me know.

Well, it certain has more to do with intellectual curiosity than the endless articles on angel investors. I think the problem with political stuff is more that it tends to produce polarized, community-wrecking discussions. Will this topic do that? I don't know, but I think it's worth a shot.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window

CWuestefeld
To prevent it from passing, publicity and writing congressmen would seem to be the thing to do.

There's such a mountain of documentation supporting the fact that SOPA is a terrible idea, that it must be true that politicians simply don't care how bad it is. If so, then publicizing the facts will have little impact.

Instead, I'd say that the best strategy is to more directly threaten their livelihood: out them personally for being the idiots responsible. Don't publicize information about SOPA per se, but make sure that any Google searches for any of its supporters will show that this person is the one to blame.

pasbesoin
If you look outside the tech sphere, you'll find remarkably little reporting and communication on it.

Notwithstanding, I agree with your point that the real end to this would/will be the impending demise of the careers of the sponsors of such legislation, both public and private.

seagreen
Thanks for the link about the Overton window. It's a good reminder that there's a lot more going on here than meets the eye.

I meant strategy to prevent it from passing. That seems like the thing to focus on at the moment. I'd like to find a good article about using social media against SOPA. That seems like something that would play to our natural advantages. For instance, in addition to posting on my FB wall is it worth the time to friend congressmen and start commenting on their posts?

mcarrano
I have emailed, wrote a letter and called my congressman. I also made sure to let them know that I will be a first time voter in the upcoming election.

I am not sure what else I can do. I definitely do not want to see SOPA / PIPA or anything of the like to pass.

seagreen
Recruiting other people is always a good next step. Talking to friends is the simplest way to do it. I'd also posting about SOPA on FB/Twitter/etc. This article might be good to link to, though it's a little too long:

The Definitive Post On Why SOPA And Protect IP Are Bad, Bad Ideas http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111122/04254316872/defini...

pasbesoin
I wrote a succinct expression of my position and reasons therefore and then faxed it to my Congressmen (both House and Senate). Note that this was not a "form" letter but something into which I put some significant thought and effort. I understand that that makes a big difference in the impression that a communication makes with them.

My knowledge may be a bit outdated, but my understanding is that a (cogent) personal letter carries more weight than emails or calls -- not that the latter are without value. And I've used faxing a few times to ensure that such letters reach their destination in a timely manner.

Since my phone landline is acting up at the moment (thanks, AT&T), I availed myself of YC's HelloFax (https://www.hellofax.com/). It was quick and painless and worked flawlessly.

Plus, they have a "free" level that gives you 5 pages for free -- depending on your rhetoric, enough to fax at least one member of Congress. (I signed up for their basic paid level, both out of thanks and because the product proved so easy and useful.)

P.S. HelloFax people, if you read this: While I'm not overly paranoid, I'd prefer to keep my identity separate from this pseudonym, in public communication. Thanks.

Also, it should be apparent that I have no personal nor financial connection with HelloFax. I'm just a (new) happy user.