Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2012 > January > 18 > Entry
Parts of the web go dark in protest of SOPA / Protect IP Act
Wikipedia’s pages are being blacked out today to protest two pieces of anti-piracy legislation.
As is being reported on other pages of our site and, of course, in many tech news outlets, parts of the web have been blacked out today in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act, two pieces of legislation that have the backing of some large media companies trying to stop copyright violation of their wares. SOPA last week stalled in the House of Representatives. PIPA appears to still be in play in the Senate.
The online protest includes an all-day blackout at Wikipedia, a half-day blockout at Reddit and even the participation of Google, which has put a link to information about the bills on its home page and which features a blacked-out Google logo on its pages.
Everyone’s favorite blackout page appears to be the hilarious one posted as an animated GIF by The Oatmeal. (Possibly not safe for work, so be careful viewing it.)
I wish I had some insight to share with you beyond the news that’s out there, but to be honest, I’m struggling to even keep up with all the news being generated about this protest, the Texas backlash and any real-world protesting that may be brewing right now, especially in Austin.
Got thoughts? I’d love to hear them. Post in the comments.
Permalink | | Categories: Internet
