Looks like the whole SOPA mess is heating up, and we're seeing some pretty deep lines in the sand get drawn. The list that came out
- Paul Graham of YCombinator has disinvited SOPA supporters to his YCombinator's Demo Days. Take it from a Silicon Valley Guy, that's a real slap.
- GoDaddy being part of the pro-SOPA crowd was apparently a surprise (and disappointment) to many. Ben Huh, the CEO and founder of Cheezburger network is threatening to pull all of their domains from GoDaddy - in fact it's mentioned on one of his sites. There's talk of a mass moving of domains on Reddit. Also GoDaddy's position on SOPA is stated at their website, but as they're reposts that seem more like political statements than addressing concerns I'm not exactly confident they get how angry people are (or they don't care).
- As people dig into SOPA it's inadvisability is making it even more of a laughingstock. Say, the fact it could ban software the Navy made to get around censorship. People are digging into it even deeper, and with the rage and the time on their hands, expect more to come (there's already anti-SOPA plugins for Firefox).
That single list has produced quite the reaction – and I doubt we're done yet. Actually, I think it's probably tame as it's the holiday season.
So analysis
- Of course keep following this.
- A mass movement of domains out of GoDaddy could become serious since, well, GoDaddy pretty much handles domains. They've had past controversies, but this could mark them in a destructive manner, especially if their support goes "meme" or inspires people to dig up dirt on them. If you work there you'll want to watch this carefully as it may affect your job.
- The GoDaddy issue may inspire other registrars to take sides (my guess is "not supporting SOPA" is a good bet).
- We'll see more battleines be drawn I'm sure. The awareness is increasing – as is the anger – and the list that was released gives people viable targets for their rage (especially if any of those companies were ones they hated beforehand). The entire SOPA mess has "gone meme" – and it also means it won't go away even if SOPA goes away.
- This is revealing something I've suspected for awhile but have had trouble articulating – there are some businesses for whom openeness/communication/freedom are built into their business model, and others where it's at best optional. We're seeing a battle of approaches to business here (among many other things). Hey, you economics writers could do a lot with this.