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Google has been censored for a long while now. Ever hear of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA)? Barely anyone gave a s**t when that was passed because they could still stream their music and torrent their movies if they searched for more than 5 minutes. The only reason people seem to be against SOPA these days is that piracy has become so commonplace and part of every day life that it's a part of American culture. This is not a matter of morals or ethics, but rather one based on the belief that American internet users have an inalienable right to pirate whatever s**t they want to.

There is no doubt it would be abused by the government to censor the media. They've already taken many steps against open access media across the nation. A good number of PEG stations in some states are actually shill organizations run by big oligopolic corporations such as Time Warner. But honestly, this stuff has been going on for a hell of a long time now. I've been telling people for years that they should stop supporting google, do something about the government policies that seek to kill open access media and free speech, and speak their mind to the world rather than remain within the safe cradle of the majority. But only now that their precious youtube and piracy-centered websites are threatened do they actually take the time to give a damn. Admittedly there are those people who have been fighting the government's impediments on freedom of speech and the lies and prejudices they implant on our minds from the day we are born, but those people are the few. The fact of the matter is that the majority of people who oppose SOPA only do so because they don't want to pay for their s**t.

But I digress. Piracy has become an integral part of our society. It is simply something that we, as a people with access to the technology, cannot do without. And you're right. It would have continued whether SOPA was passed or not. And call me paranoid, but I theorize that is exactly what the US government wanted. Even though SOPA was "defeated" another very similar bill called ACTA is currently pending approval which will make most forms of piracy illegal on an international scale. Interestingly enough, Google Inc. is changing their privacy policy at around the same date that this bill is scheduled to be passed in order to allow governments to "receive your account information in order to satisfy applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request." This would essentially put the majority of the internet browsing population on a huge "internet wiretapping" go-list on an international level. You have the right idea that SOPA and ACTA are probably not there simply to stop piracy. Given enough thought, it seems the UN is seeking an international pseudo-martial law/dictatorship over the world.