For a period of 24 hours, beginning at 5am on 18 January, Wikipedia joined the blackout protest against U.S. anti-piracy campaigns. The highly popular English version of the site had been removed and instead users were met with a darkened screen and the statement "Imagine a world without free knowledge."
This gesture of opposition expressed by Wikipedia was in response to two intellectual property bills presently being considered by the US Congress: the Stop Piracy Online Act (Sopa) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (Pipa). Both bills have attracted media attention and are the source of much controversy. Those in support of the bills point to the need to safeguard copyright holders from the rise of online piracy. However, critics of the bill insist that the proposed legislation takes a sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nut approach and would ultimately suppress creative talent and innovation.
The message displayed on the Wikipedia site highlights the time involved in the creation of the extensive encyclopaedia: "For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopaedia in human history." This is followed by a warning issued over the potential threat posed by Sopa and Pipa : "Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia."
Wikipedia is joined by a number of other technology giants including Reddit, Mozilla and even Google who blacked out its US logo and provided a link encouraging users to support their cause: "Tell Congress: Please don't censor the web." Twitter has not yet participated in the protest. This signal of dissent by such major online players was unanticipated and the influence of the protest in the passage of the US bills will be closely watched.
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