Last Wednesday, big websites like Google, Wikipedia and WordPress showed their dismay in the attempts to pass particular internet laws within the House and Senate by either blacking out their sites or putting up explanations as to why their sites were not accessible for the day. According to organizers, this was the largest protest in the history of the Internet.

Known as SOPA and PIPA, these bills would change the direction and the freedom of the internet as consumers and users know it. In addition, the Obama administration declared their own stance on the bills.

“Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small,” they stated.

Websites big and small were involved in the blackout. During the days leading up to the protest and after, 10,000,000 signatures were collected, 3,000,000 email were sent, 115,000 websites participated in the blackout and 2,200,000 hash tags (#SOPA) were used via Twitter.

The following are a series of questions that will help you to better understand the dynamics of the situation.

Q: What is SOPA?
A: Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a bill introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Lamar Smith on Oct. 26, 2011.

What is PIPA?
Protect IP Act. PIPA was first introduced to the U.S. Senate on May 12, 2011 by Senators Patrick Leahy, Orrin Hatch and Chuck Grassley.

How does it affect me?
The purpose of SOPA and PIPA is to make it difficult for sites, especially international websites to sell or distribute pirated copyrighted material such as movies and music as well as physical goods such as counterfeit purses and watches. The bill would require sites to refrain ...