First POST: Long Dark Day Of the Internet
BY Nick Judd | Wednesday, January 18 2012
Many of the Internet's biggest and most influential sites have replaced access to their content with dark backgrounds and a call to action against the Stop Online Piracy Act, legislation that creates a channel for copyright holders to quickly compel Internet infrastructure and search providers to shun foreign websites accused of widespread copyright infringement. From Wikipedia to Reddit — which promised to black out its site beginning at 8 a.m. Eastern Standard Time Jan. 18 — to BoingBoing, this is an unprecedented level of action by Internet companies.
Read why techPresident also opposes SOPA and its companion Senate legislation and check back for more updates about action around SOPA throughout the day.
9:51 a.m.: The Online Protests
with Miranda Neubauer
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The English Wikipedia site has gone dark in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP. But the AP quotes some Wikipedia editors who were skeptical of today's action and the role of the site as an advocate when it aims for neutrality in its content. Google is raising awareness of the bills with a link on its homepage, as it announced yesterday. Unlike the non-profit site Wikipedia, Reuters reported, many other large sites would not shut down completely because they didn't want to forego advertising revenue. Sopastrike.com lists the large number of other websites participating in today's action. Other websites include BoingBoing, Reddit, Greenpeace, the German Green Party, the Internet Archive and Raw Story.
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The New York Times reports:
Tim Wu, a professor at Columbia Law School, said that the technology industry, which has birthed large businesses like Google, Facebook and eBay, is much more powerful than it used to be. “This is the first real test of the political strength of the Web, and regardless of how things go, they are no longer a pushover,” said Professor Wu, who is the author of “The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires.” He added, “The Web taking a stand against one of the most powerful lobbyers and seeming to get somewhere is definitely a first.”
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During the blackout, news organizations such as the Washington Post, the Guardian and NPR will be accepting research questions that Wikipedia normally has the answers for under the hashtag #altwiki. While Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) wrote on Facebook that he was against SOPA, bill sponsor Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) criticized the blackout and insisted that the mark-up of the law would continue in February:
It is ironic that a website dedicated to providing information is spreading misinformation about the Stop Online Piracy Act. The bill will not harm Wikipedia, domestic blogs or social networking sites. This publicity stunt does a disservice to its users by promoting fear instead of facts. Perhaps during the blackout, Internet users can look elsewhere for an accurate definition of online piracy.
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As Wikipedia notes in its explanatory post, disabling Javascript will allow a user to browse the full online encyclopedia, and the blackout doesn't affect the mobile site. Wikipedia urges users to contact their representatives, while Google is encouraging users to sign an online petition. Editor-in-Chief Erick Erickson of Redstate said on Twitter he would have shut the site down if it wasn't days before the South Carolina primary. Storify explained that it was against the legislation as well, but would not join the blackout so that users could use the tool to create online stories on the topic. And in the interim, there's Fake Wikipedia.
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A potential Republican challenger to New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand criticized her for supporting PIPA, according to Politicker NY.