Has SOPA/PIPA caused damage despite getting shot down?

[Scoozums]

Despite the fact that SOPA and PIPA have been tabled for the time being does not mean that they have not already started to have some effect on the global community. It is without a doubt in my mind that these bills, failures as they may be, have caused significant damage without ever having become adopted into law.

Take a look at one particular type of site: File Sharing: The number of file sharing sites that have started seriously looking at their risks and have taken preemptive measures to ensure their own safety by blocking any and all copyrighted material they happen to find on their sites has increased.

This is happening regardless of how legitimate the shared files may actually be.

Megaupload = is no more, and while for anti piracy purposes this is a good thing, there are countless people who were using megaupload's services legitimately and put their own hard earned money into that service.

www.filesonic.com = Can no longer be considered a file sharing site since sometime during or after the debates over SOPA this site has restricted all access and now requires its users to login to their accounts in order to retrieve "only" their own uploaded files.  This is a step that filesonic has taken likely as an effective move to remove themselves from the pool of the at risk by completely destroying what they are, a "filesharing" site.

For those who use file sharing, for whatever purpose it may be, you will have likely seen that alternative sites have noticeably stepped up their removal of potentially copyright infringing materials.

Chances are that as things progress and these bills, not removed but in need of some heavy restructuring, come back off the table, we will likely see what many people are dreading, Internet censorship.