Wikipedia Blackout: 11 Huge Sites Protest SOPA, PIPA On January 18

On January 18, over 7,000 websites -- including Wikipedia and Google -- will protest anti-piracy legislation currently making its way through Congress. Sites in opposition to the measures will either "going dark" or post information to educate visitors about bills H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and S. 968, the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), two pieces of legislation meant to curb copyright infringement.

While many may support the bills' intentions, opponents and civil libertarians are worried that their passage would give the government powerful censorship tools that could threaten free speech.

When a site "goes dark," or participates in a "blackout," the site will in some way restrict its usual content. For example, the English-language version of Wikipedia, which will be dark from midnight January 18 until midnight January 19, will feature information about SOPA and PIPA and encourage visitors to contact their representatives, in place of its usual encyclopedia entries. Similarly, visitors to Imagur's photo gallery will find information about the legislation and "a message about how the PIPA/SOPA legislation threatens sites like Imgur" as well as "methods to take action," according to the company's blog.

At a speech in Boston last autumn, Eric Schmidt, Google's former CEO and now executive chairman, called SOPA "draconian," CNN reports. Google announced on Tuesday that it would be posting on its homepage a link to information about the proposed legislation, according to The New York Times.

In November, a bevy of large Internet companies, including Facebook, Google, Zynga, Twitter and LinkedIn, published an open letter in the New York Times that said, in part, the companies were "concerned that these measures pose a serious risk to our industry's continued track record of innovation and job-creation, as well as to our Nation's cybersecurity." AOL, which owns the Huffington Post, also signed the letter.

There are several ways you can get involved in the SOPA/PIPA protests. SopaStrike.com offers instructions on how to black out your own site. You can also let your voice be heard by clicking one of the links below.

Click through the slideshow to see how some of the sites protesting SOPA and PIPA will be participating.

Click here for more on SOPA.

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• Wikipedia

  Wikipedia is planning <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/16/wikipedia-blackout-jimmy-wales-sopa_n_1208947.html" target="_hplink">a 24-hour blackout</a> beginning at midnight EST on January 18 and lasting for 24 hours.

• reddit

  Reddit, the social sharing site that <a href="http://blog.reddit.com/2012/01/stopped-they-must-be-on-this-all.html" target="_hplink">first proposed the SOPA strike</a>, will blackout for 12 hours on January 18, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. <a href="http://blog.reddit.com/2012/01/stopped-they-must-be-on-this-all.html" target="_hplink">From the Reddit blog</a>: <blockquote>Instead of the normal glorious, user-curated chaos of reddit, we will be displaying a simple message about how the PIPA/SOPA legislation would shut down sites like reddit, link to resources to learn more, and suggest ways to take action.</blockquote>

• Google

  Google announced on Wednesday that it will also protest SOPA and PIPA. <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57360223-261/google-will-protest-sopa-using-popular-home-page/?part=rss&subj=latest-news&tag=title" target="_hplink">According to CNET</a>, Google will have a link on its US homepage showing its opposition to SOPA and PIPA.

• twitpic

  Various news outlets report that photo sharing site twitpic will join the protest against SOPA and PIPA, but it's unclear what the site will do on January 18.

• WordPress.org

  WordPress.org, the popular blogging platform, will go dark on Wednesday to protest SOPA and PIPA. <a href="http://wordpress.org/news/2012/01/help-stop-sopa-pipa/" target="_hplink">In a post</a> on the WordPress blog, Jane Wells, the UX lead for WordPress, wrote that "if this bill is passed it will jeopardize internet freedom and shift the power of the independent web into the hands of corporations. We must stop it."

• Mozilla

  <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-57360174-501465/wikipedia-moveon-reddit-mozilla-shuts-down-to-protest-sopa-pipa-how-to-prepare/" target="_hplink">According to CBS</a>, Mozilla will participate in the blackout on January 18. Mozilla has dedicated entire pages to both <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/sopa/" target="_hplink">SOPA</a> and <a href="https://donate.mozilla.org/page/s/commit-to-call-pipa" target="_hplink">PIPA</a>.

• MoveOn.org

  MoveOn.org, the progressive PAC, will go dark on January 18 to protest SOPA. "Congress is playing fast and loose with Internet censorship legislation that would have people like Justin Bieber thrown in jail for uploading a video to YouTube," said Justin Ruben, the executive director of MoveOn.org, <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/01/more-web-sites-plan-blackouts-in-protest-against-sopa-pipa/1" target="_hplink">according to USA Today</a>.

• Center For Democracy And Technology

  The Center for Democracy and Technology, <a href="http://www.cdt.org/about" target="_hplink">a non-profit</a> that's "working to keep the internet open," <a href="http://www.cdt.org/blogs/161open-internet-fights-back" target="_hplink">will go dark on Wednesday</a> "[i]n an effort to pressure the Senate to postpone its premature action -- and to protest the slanted process by which PIPA and SOPA have advanced through Congress."

• imgur

  Imgur, the free image-hosting site, will blackout its galleries for 12 hours on January 18. Instead of the gallery, users will see "a message about how the PIPA/SOPA legislation threatens sites like Imgur with methods to take action," <a href="http://imgur.com/blog/2012/01/16/imgur-joins-blackout/" target="_hplink">the company said</a> on its blog. According to Imgur, users with paid accounts will not be affected.

• Minecraft

  Minecraft.net, along with www.mojang.com and www.playcobalt.com, will "close down" on January 18, according to a post on the Mojang website. "No sane person can be for SOPA," Markus "Notch" Persson, <a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/01/12/notch-no-sane-person-can-be-for-sopa/" target="_hplink">the creator of Minecraft, said on Mojang.com</a>. "I don't know if we're sane, but we are strongly, uncompromisingly against SOPA, and any similar laws. Sacrificing freedom of speech for the benefit of corporate profit is abominable and disgusting."

• Cheezburger Network

  <a href="http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/sopa-protect-ip-senate-hearings-ip/1/17/2012/id/38865" target="_hplink">According to Minyanville</a>, the Cheezburger Network of sites will go dark on January 18 to protest SOPA. Cheezburger network sites include The Daily What, Fail Blog and Know Your Meme.

Comments

[brekinla]

10:39 PM on 01/18/2012

The defense authorization act took away your rights to due process. Thought you had a right to an attorney, a speedy trial, a public trial, bail or to keep silent? These formalities have been done away with, it's for your safety. Now they are after your free speech rights and you know what they will get em cause they own this country.
"The table is tilted the game is rigged and nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care. That's what the owners of this country count on, that Americans will remain WILLFULLY ignorant." George Carlin RIP

[John Eppstein]

09:25 PM on 01/18/2012

This is nonsense. The fact is that various large tech companies such as Google and, yes, Wikipedia want to be able to use copyrighted content with impunity for commercial purposes, without having to compensate the owners of that property.

That's what all this is REALLY about.

It's not about censorship (there is no effective censorship in either bill) or freedom of speech - it's about the "right" of gigantic, multibillion dollar corporations to grab the property of artists without paying for it.

[bighairypussy]

09:53 PM on 01/18/2012

You wrong! This site is doing everything you just mentioned. They should be black!

[American in Taipei]

12:02 AM on 01/19/2012

That's an incredibly uninformed statement.

Websites ranging from Wikipedia to YouTube to small blogs to webcomics all rely on user-provided content. This bill could punish those websites by court order if any of their users post anything that is suspected as infringement. It puts a huge burden on them to monitor everything posted on their website. And individuals' use of copyrighted material could now be charged as a felony.

Yes, these are all hypotheticals because we don't know how the courts will interpret them. But why take that risk? Congress needs to take some more time to hammer out a good bill that addresses the problem of piracy in a way that is narrow and effective, not prone to abuse.

We cannot allow a legitimate goal (protecting copyrights) to be enacted in a way which burdens the freedom of speech and expression. If we do, then we're enacting a Great Firewall of America, no different in its effect than the one in China.

[vspinnet]

03:56 AM on 01/19/2012

Well said.

[elvispenis]

08:32 PM on 01/18/2012

The FCC should be destroyed once and for all too.

[catlijk2]

08:22 PM on 01/18/2012

The government is afraid we'll get smart and the dancing at their parties will stop. NO ONE has the right to take away our freedoms like speech, what we want to learn or for that matter watch or where we want to shop! They've already taken away our right to what we want to eat and how our children should be educated. They have also taken away our right to earn a decent living (or have none of you been affected by the awful economy?) The "people" have been too complacent for too many years. If "we the people" don't hold our stand on this one...we may NEVER get another chance!!

[John Eppstein]

09:31 PM on 01/18/2012

Nobody's taking you freedom of speech with this bill. However they already did take it with The Patriot Act. The puny provisions in this bill (easily circumvented by any highschool kid who knows what an IP address is) are totally unnecessary for the government to censor the internet. If they want a page or a site gone it vanishes without a trace. Any remaining links to it get you ERROR 404.

What this bill is about is the right of artists to earn a decent living and not having their work stolen by the likes of Google and The Pirate Bay.. You're FOR people earning a living, right?

[WindMeUp2011]

11:48 PM on 01/18/2012

I, as many others, so do beg to differ with your posts and opinion on what SOPA and PIPA really are about and what their impact on censorship and free speech. They have been crafted and veiled to hide what really could happen, if indeed be implemented. At this point, they cannot be edited, redefined, or "undone" as they have been written up and need to be totally trashed. Music, movie and media have been lent, borrowed. copied and "bootlegged" since the invention of recording devices, whether through a friend or public library or off radio and TV (or a Live show). (BTW - some credit given to those who captured or saved a rare show or historical event and shared on YouTube, which may otherwise have gone unseen and forgotten, but now enjoyed by many). YES - it is TIME for the "people" to stop being complacent, start paying attention and take a stand.

[WindMeUp2011]

12:08 AM on 01/19/2012

They are in a sense afraid. The Internet has proven it can be used as a very efficient "tool" of speedy communication to get the word out. or rapidly assembling large groups en masse in a flash, aside from the fact it allows people to think openly and exchange ideas. This could

[Michael Pomare]

08:21 PM on 01/18/2012

Not that we're anywhere near as notable, but Halopedia, a halo wiki, is also protesting SOPA/PIPA through self-censorship. http://halopedian.com

[travelgal100]

08:20 PM on 01/18/2012

This is the link to find out how your member of Congress is voting ...I called my 2 Senators today...And Marco Rubio had already changed from supporting to NOT supporting....He got the pressure....It is IMPORTANT that everyone reading this call their congressman...You can find out info in this link

http://www.craigslist.org/about/SOPA

[kairatera]

08:16 PM on 01/18/2012

What if this is passed and the internet is censored so much that it's unbearable...? Then what? People will stop using it. People hear a lot of their news from the internet. They get a lot of the information FROM the internet. If they begin limiting us to our internet. We could end up rather lost as to where we are and what we're doing. The internet is one of the finest technologies in the world. Losing the ability to access any type of information, like we do now, or being censored from it is taking the best out of what the internet is for.

Sure it has some bad qualities, certain sites and such. But, that can always be avoided.

[John Eppstein]

09:38 PM on 01/18/2012

The internet is already censored under The Patriot Act. If you don't believe me, try to search for any information about possible collusion by parties associated with the GWB administration in 9/11.

What you'll find is a lot of ERROR 404s, where there used to be pages on (sites of) respected European news outlets.

Censorship is here, all around us. They don't need the relatively ineffective measures in SOPA for it.

America's creatives NEED SOPA to protect us from the likes of The Pirate Bay and megabillion dollar companies like Google who want to take our property without paying for it.

[elvispenis]

08:00 PM on 01/18/2012

Sure when you have freedom there's always some blockhead near by to exploit and cheat people. But I believe in a sort of 'the weak perish and the strong survive' concept. If you get ripped off on the web, well, dust yourself, learn from your mistake and don't do it again. The US Government, on the other hand wants to use this to 'we're protecting you' jazz to control communication, our freedom and ultimately, our money. So a few dweebs get burned occasionally, learn from it.

[mantucket]

07:52 PM on 01/18/2012

When the dollar comes from the rich mans pocket... today is the results... think about it!

[crossaddicted21]

08:09 PM on 01/18/2012

Your problem with the rich is your problem,. BUT if these laws get passed it will not be the rich who will be affected but you and I. When you try to find things to buy or sell such as on craigs list.......well forget it your freedom to do so will be lost.

[John Eppstein]

09:42 PM on 01/18/2012

Yeah, I might actually be able to sell a few CDs and song downloads. Whereas now as soon as you put anything out it's on The Pirate Bay and a zillion other sites and Google is putting up pages of links to the pirate downloads.

I'd LOVE to be affected by this law.

And the only effect on Craigslist would be that they'd have to start screening ads for pirate content. Like they already do for prostitution and dope.

[Washington76 76]

07:47 PM on 01/18/2012

Not sure what saving whales has to do with trying to save our rights online BUT ████'█ ███ ██████.the ████ ████ ██ ████ ████ █████ government████ ███ ██ knows█████ ██ ██████ ███ best█ █████ ██ ███ ██████ █████ █████ ████/████ ███'█ ██████ ████████

SOPA Strike! Thank you for being a part of the largest online protest in US history. Senators need to hear from you NOW. http://americancensorship.org/

[Frank Bernardini]

07:36 PM on 01/18/2012

cont it will be un constitutional it the first amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

[harriscb]

07:31 PM on 01/18/2012

I am going to have to get smart on all of this. I cringe everytime our government decides to "regulate" something. It always means higher cost and less service.

Can anyone give me the Cliffnotes on what this really means?

[croshatch]

07:50 PM on 01/18/2012

Yes, that would be helpful. A lot of people are taking a stand on this without knowing the specifics of it.

Anyone?

[John Eppstein]

09:53 PM on 01/18/2012

Sure.

Big Tech wants to use artist's property without paying for it so they can sell advertizing and services like high speed internet. They've forged an unholy alliance with piracy advocates to do this and are spreading a lot on inflammatory nonsense claiming all kinds of imaginary bad effects from any law that might be effective in hampering their ability to do this. And since Big Tech controls the majority of the popular communications media and since the entertainment industry is a (small) fraction of the size of the tech industry they do a really effective job of lying to people.

Will this bring censorship to the internet? No, the Patriot Act already did that far more effectively that this law ever could.

Will this adversely affect American business? Only American business that's engaged in illegal activities.

Will this affect American Jobs? Definitely - it will protect many jobs in the creative industries that are threatened by piracy and will create many more as piracy is brought under control. I personally know a large number of people who lost their jobs due to the effects of piracy.

[Troy P Smith]

07:17 PM on 01/18/2012

America, Fight For Your Rights to Freedom of Speech:

If SOPA is not defeated it could lead to the destruction of free information.

SOPA is nothing more than a "false generalization", an abstraction of the argument that shifts discussion to platitudes where the facts of the matter are lost. There are many, many more tricks to divert attention from careful exploration of a subject.

I believe there is a far more sinister plot behind SOPA. A fallacious argument from authority exists because the body suggesting SOPA, the Congress, is not recognized as a leading authority on the inner workings of the internet. In fact, the conclusions made by the supporters of SOPA may create a non sequitur. It is for this simple reason passing of SOPA will most likely cause more harm than good to corporations and internet entities affected by such an act.

Politicians, unless specifically trained in the acquisition and transmission of internet information, risk causing irreversible damage to the very entities they claim to be protecting. Copyright is not the catalyst behind the creation of this legislation. I encourage all Americans to contact their congressperson's and voice a resounding NO to the passage of Bill H.R. (House Resolution) 3261.

The internet could go dark.

While the Congress may not be experts qualified to create such a bill as SOPA surely they realize what could happen if the bill does pass. It makes one wonder, what is the real reason for this legislation?

Sparticus

[thinklogical]

07:10 PM on 01/18/2012

I do not agree its communism, i believe it is a step in a way we need in this country. I do not agree with blocking all content no. The fact is currently our our world wide web is a pool of good and bad. The bad is gradually getting worse while the super rich google, twitter get more rich. The world wide web has brought good and bad. Our country needs a way to weed out the bad. Currently people are pirating movies, music, etc, etc. People are buying drugs and some are getting hurt or dying because it is killing people, counterfeit drugs kill people. We need to find a middle ground were we can look freely on information, purchasing material but do it the right way.

[HurfDerp]

07:33 PM on 01/18/2012

And this isn't it.

[thinklogical]

07:46 PM on 01/18/2012

you may be right hurf
I DON'T know if i agree with this bill as a whole. All i DO know is something NEEDS to be done. People are stealing everything, movies, music, credit card numbers, social security numbers, everything. People are buying counterfeit everything, prescription drugs, phones, even beauty products . Some of these counterfeit items will KILL you, Bad drugs will KILL you people. Something needs to be done, people are being allowed to say what they wish, download what they wish, buy what they wish. In more ways then one it is killing our society. Does anyone notice how many stores there are in your neighborhoods? Three or four tops, Kmart, walmart and target, grocery stores and hardware stores, THATS ALL, everything else is CLOSING. People are running ragged doing what they want on line and are not caring about the who they hurt or what happens. Like i said, i don't know if i agree with these bills, but something needs to be done.

[dafusel]

07:47 PM on 01/18/2012

Nothing in the world is completely good, be realistic. we have the freedom to not go to a site u find not to your likeing, who chooses whats good and whats bad. let something truly be free and let even the bad express themselves.

[vspinnet]

07:04 PM on 01/18/2012

Let's give a big F%&@ you to these guys pushing for this garbage:

RIAA, MPAA, News Corp, TimeWarner, Walmart, Nike, Tiffany, Chanel, Rolex, Sony, Juicy Couture, Ralph Lauren, VISA, Mastercard, Comcast, ABC, Dow Chemical, Monster Cable, Teamsters, Rupert Murdoch, Lamar Smith (R-TX), John Conyers (D-MI)

Of course the RIAA is among them protecting their assets at the cost of American liberties.

[thinklogical]

07:42 PM on 01/18/2012

haha

[croshatch]

07:44 PM on 01/18/2012

Are you in favor of piracy? (just wondering)

[vspinnet]

09:11 PM on 01/18/2012

No. I've develop software that is often pirated. I've issued multiple cease and desist orders. But, protecting our assets should never infringe on American liberties. I knew the consequences of developing and issuing my software, and what protections (Copyright, etc.) were in place.