Joining the chorus of anti-SOPA companies, WordPress is coming out strongly against internet censorship legislation. As a long-time WordPress user and a huge fan of the platform, this makes me all warm and fuzzy inside:
Normally we stay away from from politics here at the official WordPress project — having users from all over the globe that span the political spectrum is evidence that we are doing our job and democratizing publishing, and we don’t want to alienate any of our users no matter how much some of us may disagree with some of them personally. Today, I’m breaking our no-politics rule, because there’s something going on in U.S. politics right now that we need to make sure you know about and understand, because it affects us all.
We are not a small group. More than 60 million people use WordPress — it’s said to power about 15% of the web. We can make an impact, and you can be an agent of change. Go to Stop American Censorship for more information and a bunch of ways you can take action quickly, easily, and painlessly. The Senate votes in two weeks, and we need to help at least 41 more senators see reason before then. Please. Make your voice heard.
Good for WordPress. I can’t say I’m surprised, but at least I’m not horribly disappointed. Many of the things I love – movies, television, video games – are made by companies who support this legislation. I understand why they support it, I just wish they’d support something that doesn’t crack down so hard on free speech. There is a compromise to be had if we can have an open conversation.
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Read my Forbes blog here.
I write about politics at my other blog and you can find me at The League of Ordinary Gentlemen.
Article source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/01/11/wordpress-comes-out-against-sopa/