Wikipedia shuts down

Can you imagine a life without free information on the internet or a life without YouTube? A life without downloads and links? A new anti-piracy bill is going through the US congress which will effectively amount to censorship on the net.



Wikipedia and several others went dark at midnight Tuesday and throughout Wednesday in protest of the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act that critics say could have far reaching negative consequences.


Instead of the usual encyclopedia articles, visitors to Wikipedia's English-language site were greeted by a message about the decision to black out its Web page for an entire day.


"Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge," said the stark message in white letters on a black and gray background.


"For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. 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."


However, users were able to access Wikipedia on some smartphones.


Unholy war between techies and the media


A Senate committee approved a similar bill in May called the Protect IP Act, which is now pending before the full Senate.


The controversy over SOPA and PIPA has turned into an all-out war between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Media companies have united in favor of the bills, while tech's power players are throwing their might into opposing them.


Craigslist blacked out


The popular online classified site Craigslist was also blacked out, with a note asking users to tell members of Congress they oppose the bills.


Facebook boss opposes the bill


"The Internet is the most powerful tool we have for creating a more open and connected world," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on the site Wednesday. "We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the Internet's development. Facebook opposes SOPA and PIPA, and we will continue to oppose any laws that will hurt the Internet."


Effects of the bill


If SOPA passes, copyright holders would be able to complain to law enforcement officials and get websites hosted anywhere in the world shut down. Search engines and other providers would have to block rogue sites when ordered to do so by a judge. Sites could be punished for hosting pirated content and Internet companies are worried they could be held liable for users' actions.