If you are a US citizen, please join RMS and the rest of us at the FSF in signing the petition at http://demandprogress.org/blacklist/.

The petition demands that Congress stop S. 3804, the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA), which was introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

COICA would create a blacklist of domain names that the government thinks are involved in copyright infringement, which the Attorney General can add to with a court order. Internet service providers and others would be required to block any domains on the list.

This is yet another attempt by those behind the War on Sharing to enlist the government in their assault on our freedoms. Furthermore, since free software is often distributed using the same peer to peer technologies and sites they target, it's a real danger that we could get caught in the crossfire.

Currently the bill is on hold till after the Congressional elections. We should take advantage of this time to build opposition to the bill -- we'll need it when the bill resurfaces if we want to stand up to the powerful companies on the other side.

We will continue to monitor COICA's progress and keep you updated. But don't wait to sign the petition.