Statistically Speaking

Last Wednesday, many websites, including Google and Wikipedia, blacked out or symbolically blacked out their services. These websites’ aim was to protest and raise awareness about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), two Congressional bills that were drafted to cut down on online copyright infringement, but that opponents claim will seriously harm free speech on the internet. Here are some facts about SOPA, PIPA, and the blackout:

5 million: the number of active users of the torrent site The Pirate Bay in 2007

13: the number of U.S. congress members who withdrew their sponsorship from SOPA or PIPA after the blackout

7 million: the number of signatures on Google’s anti-SOPA petition

5: the maximum number of years a person could spend in prison for streaming 10 pieces of music or movies under SOPA

Sources: latimes.com, pcworld.com, washingtonpost.com