The online Wikipedia will go off line tomorrow (Jan. 18). According to reports, the English version of Wikipedia, will be joined by more than a dozen other large websites in a 24-hour strike to protest anti-piracy legislation. Wikipedia is the sixth most visited site in the world.
The blackout on Wikipedia starts at 12 a.m. on Wednesday.
Why Wikipedia is Blacking Out
Other sites, like Reddit and Boing Boing, have said they would go dark on Wednesday as well. Mozilla, which offers the Firefox Web browser; the Wordpress blogging site; and TwitPic from Twitter are other joiners of the movement.
Some of the biggest online names like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, have vocally opposed the proposed legislation, though they have not said they are joining the online blackout, according to ABC News.
For you Wikipedia copiers, better get that homework done now, you have about two hours!
Read more about this story HERE at ABC News.
I checked back on the internet around 2 a.m. (Jan. 18) and here are some of the sites participating and what they look like:
"Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge 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. Learn more."
They also suggest contacting your local official where you can enter your zip code in a box and get contact information to oppose SOPA and PIPA, who want to limit internet freedom.
Why Wikipedia is Blacking Out
Other sites, like Reddit and Boing Boing, have said they would go dark on Wednesday as well. Mozilla, which offers the Firefox Web browser; the Wordpress blogging site; and TwitPic from Twitter are other joiners of the movement.
Some of the biggest online names like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, have vocally opposed the proposed legislation, though they have not said they are joining the online blackout, according to ABC News.
For you Wikipedia copiers, better get that homework done now, you have about two hours!
Read more about this story HERE at ABC News.
Update Below!
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I checked back on the internet around 2 a.m. (Jan. 18) and here are some of the sites participating and what they look like:
- Wordpress has black "Censored" signs over its content on its main page.
- Google's logo is blacked out with a message on its home page but users can still conduct Google searches while Google gets the point across.
- Wikipedia's site has a message that reads:
"Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge 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. Learn more."
They also suggest contacting your local official where you can enter your zip code in a box and get contact information to oppose SOPA and PIPA, who want to limit internet freedom.
Yahoo! co-founder resigns in the midst of internet blackout SOPA
- Social networks like Twitter and Facebook have not participated in the blackout.
Chief executive of Twitter, Dick Costolo tweeted, "Closing a global business in reaction to single-issue national politics is foolish."
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