Credit: AFP
Wikipedia went dark, Google blotted out
its logo and other popular websites planned protests on Wednesday to voice
concern over legislation in the US Congress intended to crack down on online piracy.
Wikipedia shut down the English version
of its online encyclopedia
for 24 hours to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) introduced in the House of Representatives
and the Senate version, the Protect IP Act (PIPA).
Google placed a black redaction box over
the logo on its much-visited US home page to draw attention to the bills, while
social news site reddit
and the popular Cheezburger
humor network planned to shut down later in the day.
The draft legislation has won the backing
of Hollywood, the music industry, the Business Software Alliance, the National Association of
Manufacturers and the US Chamber of Commerce.
But it has come under fire from digital rights and free speech organizations
for allegedly paving the way for US authorities to shut down websites accused
of online piracy, including foreign sites, without due process.
"For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the
largest encyclopedia in human history," Wikipedia said in a message posted
at midnight (0500 GMT) on its darkened website.
"Right now, the US Congress is considering legislation that could
fatally damage the free and open internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we
are blacking out Wikipedia."
The founders of Google, Twitter,
Wikipedia, Yahoo!
and other Internet giants said in an open letter last month the legislation
would give the US government censorship powers "similar to those used by
China, Malaysia and Iran."
"We oppose these bills because there are smart, targeted ways to shut
down foreign rogue websites without asking American companies to censor the Internet,"
a Google spokesman said Tuesday.
"So tomorrow we will be joining many other tech companies to highlight
this issue on our US home page," the spokesman for the Internet search
giant said.
Reddit said it will shut down for 12 hours -- from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm (1300
GMT to 0100 GMT) -- to protest the legislation.
"We wouldn't do this if we didn't believe this legislation and the
forces behind it were a serious threat to reddit and the Internet as we know
it," reddit said.
"The freedom, innovation, and
economic opportunity that the Internet enables is in jeopardy."
Ben Huh, the founder of Cheezburger
network, said on his Twitter feed that his 58 sites, which include
icanhascheezburger.com, FAIL Blog and The Daily What, will observe a blackout
on Wednesday.
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales announced
the plans to shut down the site in a message on his Twitter feed.
"Student warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law
on Wednesday!" Wales said.
"This is going to be wow. I hope Wikipedia will melt phone systems in
Washington on Wednesday. Tell everyone you know!" he said.
Volunteer-staffed Wikipedia turned 11 years old on January 15 and boasts
more than 20 million articles in 282 languages.
The White House expressed concern about the anti-online piracy bills in a
statement over the weekend.
"While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious
problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support
legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk,
or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet," it said.
"Any effort to combat online piracy
must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must
not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small," the
White House said.
News Corp. chief executive Rupert
Murdoch, who backs the US legislation, accused the "blogosphere" of
"terrorizing many senators and congressmen who previously committed"
to supporting it.
"Nonsense argument about danger to
Internet. How about Google, others blocking porn, hate speech, etc? Internet
hurt?" he wrote on the popular micro-blogging website.
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