The political elephants in the room that are getting little primetime media attention are two bills—SOPA in the House and PIPA in the Senate—that, if passed by Congress, would allow the U.S. government to block websites that are in violation of U.S. copyright laws. If passed, these bills will have a significant impact over how we use and view the Internet. Proponents of the bills argue that they are necessary for protecting the rights of intellectual property owners; opposers argue that these bills are the wrong approach to prevent piracy and they will create a slippery slope for government regulation. In either case, I feel it's important for us to be informed of the issues at hand.

If you're unaware of these bills and would like to learn more, check out some of these resources:

1. SOPA, as reported to the House

2. PIPA, as reported to the Senate

3. Google's anti-SOPA/PIPA stance

4. Rupert Murdoch's pro-SOPA response

The Senate is scheduled to vote on PIPA starting on January 24th, so keep an eye out for news reports and other developments around these two bills. And if you're anti-SOPA/PIPA, write your corresponding Senator or Representative and let them know!