According to its opponents, it would mean the end of the Internet as we know it. Dire predictions circulating on the Web in recent weeks have included the scenario of Justin Bieber getting hauled off to jail over videos posted on YouTube and the U.S. Department of Justice shutting down the YouTube site.
At issue is the Stop Online Piracy Act, a bill aimed at curbing digital theft of copyrighted works that was introduced in the House on Oct. 26. But does the language of the legislation actually enable such drastic action as its opponents describe? Supporters of the bill say sites can’t be shut down without a court order, and the rules of civil and criminal procedure offer adequate protection to site owners.
