If you tried to use Reddit on January 11th 2012 you would have been met with the message above. The website was shut down to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) which sought to expand the authorities rights to combat internet copyright infringement. The head guys at Reddit were aware of the potential for misuse and how much of a threat this bill would have been to them, so they closed their services to show their concern. Reddit were not alone Wikipedia, Google and many other sites changed logos or shut down to raise awareness of the potential law, and lawmakers quickly realised the power of the internet. This resulted in the Bill being effectively dropped, with it now being held on to by a Committee. This means it will not be a law, and due to the nature of American lawmakers it looks like the internet is safe (at the moment) partially due to Reddit.
A 21 year old History graduate looking for someone to listen to his ramblings. Lover of comic books, movies and all other superhero related things. Published in The Independent, always looking for interesting things to write about...Follow me on Twitter at @samclements1993, and check out my blog: http://samuelclements.wordpress.com/
