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On January the 18th from 8AM to 8PM (EST) HNZ will be joining in on an organized online strike against a very severe threat to the Internet - SOPA and PIPA.
I'm sure many of you have been following the story, and you're more than aware of what this could mean if the American government passes the legislation before them. But in case you haven't heard much about it, this video summarizes it well:
SOPA is not exactly dead - it's been shelved, and even the white house is calling for similar legislation to be worked on throughout the year. So the threat remains real, and the bill before the American senate (PIPA) is still going to be brought to a vote.
What will this shut down mean? Professors won't be scolded for late lessons, Admin will have secret time to catch up on apps, and the board will have an offline message. (It will load, you'll just not be able to do very much.) We'll probably link to the IRC chat room for the day for you guys to still have someplace to talk and whatever else you do when mods aren't looking.
Also in protest of corporations who support PIPA/SOPA I transferred HNZ's domain name away from GoDaddy[note]They've officially withdrawn support for SOPA, but they pretty much enforce private sector SOPA as it is, I'm told.[note]
Hopefully, you each can appreciate the need to do this as it does effect the Internet as a whole - and, as a community on said Internet, we have a stake in this too.
All the best,
~Nick
(On behalf of the HNZ Site Staff)
Interested in learning more, or helping in an additional capacity?
I'm sure many of you have been following the story, and you're more than aware of what this could mean if the American government passes the legislation before them. But in case you haven't heard much about it, this video summarizes it well:
SOPA is not exactly dead - it's been shelved, and even the white house is calling for similar legislation to be worked on throughout the year. So the threat remains real, and the bill before the American senate (PIPA) is still going to be brought to a vote.
What will this shut down mean? Professors won't be scolded for late lessons, Admin will have secret time to catch up on apps, and the board will have an offline message. (It will load, you'll just not be able to do very much.) We'll probably link to the IRC chat room for the day for you guys to still have someplace to talk and whatever else you do when mods aren't looking.

Also in protest of corporations who support PIPA/SOPA I transferred HNZ's domain name away from GoDaddy[note]They've officially withdrawn support for SOPA, but they pretty much enforce private sector SOPA as it is, I'm told.[note]
Hopefully, you each can appreciate the need to do this as it does effect the Internet as a whole - and, as a community on said Internet, we have a stake in this too.
All the best,
~Nick
(On behalf of the HNZ Site Staff)
Interested in learning more, or helping in an additional capacity?
SOPA Explanations
[ul][li]Michael Geist - SOPA: All Your Internets Belong to Us (nice Canadian/International perspective)</LI>
[li]CNET - How SOPA would affect you: FAQ
[li]Lifehacker - All About SOPA, the Bill That's Going to Cripple Your Internet[/li][/ul]
How to Contact One's Representative
[ul][li]Lifehacker guide: How to Contact and Properly Communicate with Your Representatives
[li]Contacting the Congress (Directory)
[li]Stop American Censorship (allows you to send a form letter automatically)
[li]Canadian MPs by Postal Code (Enter postal code, get MP and contact info)
<LI>[li]UK Parliament Directory (Search by name, constituency, etc.)[/li][/ul]
Ben's support profile
[ul][li]Michael Geist - SOPA: All Your Internets Belong to Us (nice Canadian/International perspective)</LI>
[li]CNET - How SOPA would affect you: FAQ
[li]Lifehacker - All About SOPA, the Bill That's Going to Cripple Your Internet[/li][/ul]
How to Contact One's Representative
[ul][li]Lifehacker guide: How to Contact and Properly Communicate with Your Representatives
[li]Contacting the Congress (Directory)
[li]Stop American Censorship (allows you to send a form letter automatically)
[li]Canadian MPs by Postal Code (Enter postal code, get MP and contact info)
<LI>[li]UK Parliament Directory (Search by name, constituency, etc.)[/li][/ul]
Ben's support profile