Two bills that are making their way through the United States Congress have been raising alarms among netizens and forward-thinking tech giants alike. In a nutshell, the Stop Online Piracy Act (aka H.R.326, introduced on October 26, 2011 by Texas Republican Representative Lamar Smith) and the PROTECT IP Act (aka Bill S.968, introduced on May 12, 2011 by Vermont Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy) ostensibly aim to protect the rights and intellectual property works of businesses and individuals (and thereby encourage creativity) by granting corporations and the government the ability to censor or block any site that harbours or is dedicated to intellectual property right infringement.

It would be a commendable goal, however the more-than-legitimate fear is that corporations and government will be handed undue censorship powers that could be misused for private interests; that internet architecture and security will be adversely affected; and that most importantly, the internet will become a drastically less free and content-rich place capable of bringing about social change and stimulating creativity as it does now. We can’t tell you what’s wrong or right, or what to believe, but a few things are certain: we know where we stand; these bills will affect you; you should read the material from both sides of the argument; and you should weigh in.

The above video outlines objections to the Protect IP Act and you can go to fightforthefuture.org or americancensorship.org among other sites to contact Congress and register your displeasure. The infographic below is also worth a look if you’re more of a visual learner. From the other side of the fence, the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary website has information on the hearing of SOPA here.

This is a particularly important issue for American readers, but those outside the U.S.A shouldn’t by any means think this won’t reach them. The United States has always been a (if not the) leading nation when it comes to technology standards and intellectual property legislation and protection. Where they go, we will surely follow.