There’s a four-letter word that’s been used increasingly in anger over the last year by internet users across the globe: SOPA. The US Stop Online Piracy Act, and it threatens to disrupt the entire internet as we know it.

Essentially, SOPA gives copyright holders the ability to have entire websites removed from the internet if the rights holders allege the site hosts infringing material. What’s more is that even if the infringing material comes from a user who uploaded it to the site, the owner of the site pays the price.

But, it’s worse than that Google, ebay, your blog, my blog, are all vulnerable under the act if just one fragment of copyrighted material is on those sites. Who gave the US record and movie industries the right to run the internet?

Websites including Reddit, English Wikipedia, WordPress, BoingBoing, will go dark on the 18th to protest this four-letter word. If the protests fail many more sites, including Google, ebay and Paypal might go dark permanently…

More: Show your opposition to SOPA/PIPA by participating in Internet Blackout on Wednesday January 18.