Ry Guy loves life See Page 5
Volume 22. Issue 8
inside
NEWS:
No more free bus rides for students?
Page 3
FEATURES:
Students share ways to cheat in class
Page 7
A & E:
Lukas Nelson gives a preformance to benefit students Page 8
SPORTS:
Men’s basketball team takes down one of the best teams in the state Page 12
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ANDRES VARGAS
January 30, 2012
Thebreezeonline.com
Protesters kill Internet censors, for now HANAJUN CHUNG
T
he relatively short history of the Stop Online Piracy and Preventing Real Online threats of Intellectual Property acts, or SOPA and PIPA, demonstrates once again the power of the Internet and its reach to both protect and educate its users. SOPA (H.R. 3261) lasted three months before being indefinitely postponed on Jan. 20 by its creator, Texas Sen. Lamar Smith. “I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” Smith said in a statement on his website following the bill’s postponement. While the PIPA bill has been around since May of 2011, it has been relatively quiet in comparison. However, SOPA’s gaining momentum of support unofficially reintroduced PIPA to new supporters and detractors later that year. SOPA critics protested the bill since its Oct. 26, 2011 introduction by Smith to Congress. The tremendous online backlash against the combined threat of
have not publicly demonstrated against the SOPA and PIPA, but they are aware. Alex Watts, undeclared major, understood the basic elements of the bill upon questioning on Jan. 23. “Basically [it’s] a Draconian way for the Senate to stop online piracy,” Watts said. Watts explained the specific details involving the bill’s authorization for domain name system removals by the Department of Justice. With a desire to enter the field of computer science, Watts knows that the bill’s approval would be devastating for those with similar ambitions. This threat, he said, was reinforced by his favorite sites and webseries such as YouTube’s Phill DeFranco video podcast. Ultimately, Watts wishes to remind everyone that in the end,“It inhibits f r e e
After witnessing some hypothetical scenarios online in which SOPA and PIPA are in action, Thompson was miffed. “There is no alternative [career],” he said. “I’d probably be in jail.” For Thompson, the internet freedom is a must. “Photography is a passion of mine,” Thompson said. “I use it to express myself, and nothing will come between that.” Critics and protesters h a v e
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SOPA and PIPA were created by sites in the form of videos, slideshows, and even blackouts of major media sites on Jan. 18. The blackout eventually grew into its own site entitled sopastrike.com, simultaneously instructing and documenting ways for users and websites to join the protest. Around Chaffey College, the students
speech.” Photography major Ron Thompson heard about SOPA and PIPA after their indefinite postponement, yet his passion matched that of Watts. “If [SOPA] happens, what’s to stop congress from stopping another freedom,” Thompson said.
come t o gether online to inform their respective audiences about a bill that could eliminate jobs and eventually change the way people use the Internet. While the Internet currently remains untouched, the chances of SOPA, PIPA, or the remains of something similar finding their way into law are possible. ILLUSTRATION BY DARLEINE HEITMAN