Hacker group Anonymous claims victory as the Senate shelves PIPA

Chalk up a victory for the internet: Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) is postponing a vote on the contentious Protect I.P. act, better known as PIPA.

What was once an obscure issue has taken center stage this week amidst an internet blackout that included major web players Google, Wikipedia, Reddit, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Bi-partisan support for the bill crumbled when conservative and moderate Republicans begun abandoning the bill en masse on Wednesday, all but guaranteeing the bill would be unable to pass in its current form.

Government criticism was only heightened by Thursday's takedown of file-sharing website Megaupload.com, which included the arrest of several New Zealanders for violation of U.S. law. Hacktivist group Anonymous launched a major denial-of-service attack on the government in protest, saying the raid "proved that the feds don't need SOPA or its sister legislation, PIPA, in order to pose a blow to the Web."

Though Anonymous is claiming victory, the fight is not over — both Reid and SOPA author Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) plan to reintroduce the bills at a later date. In a tweet this morning, Reid said "I'm optimistic that we can reach compromise on PROTECT IP in coming weeks."

[Image credit: ryanjreilly]

(Source)

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