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Wikipedia joins SOPA blackout day
ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA Wikipedia is the latest high profile web site to announce that it will go dark on Wednesday 18 January to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act.
Wikipedia has been toying with the idea and last week, when Reddit said that it would turn off its lights, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales brought up the idea again.
Now the outfit has joined the cause. "This is going to be wow. I hope Wikipedia will melt phone systems in Washington on Wednesday. Tell everyone you know!" said a tweet from Wales that followed the announcement at Wikipedia.
"Today Wikipedians from around the world have spoken about their opposition to this destructive legislation," he added in a longer statement at Wikipedia.
"This is an extraordinary action for our community to take - and while we regret having to prevent the world from having access to Wikipedia for even a second, we simply cannot ignore the fact that SOPA and PIPA endanger free speech both in the United States and abroad, and set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world."
There is some talk that SOPA has been defeated or gone away since the White House said that it might veto it if it comes its way as it stands. However, Wales and others said that this was no reason not to carry on with blackout plans.
"#sopa is far from dead - just dormant as they revise it," he tweeted in response to a message.
Anonymous is also keen to press ahead with blackout plans, and like Wales has used Twitter to express its desire that people stay alert over SOPA and stick to their plans for web site shutdowns.
"#SOPA is NOT dead, just put aside for now," it said.." It WILL be back once the time is 'right'. So don't drop your support for #SOPAblackout on #J18!"
Other groups are not so committed, however, and although firms like Google and Facebook are in opposition to SOPA so far they have not announced that they will shut down on the 18th.
Twitter definitely will not. "Closing a global business in reaction to single-issue national politics is foolish," tweeted CEO Dick Costolo on the issue and in response to a question about whether the firm would follow the Wikipedia lead.
Then, because it might have looked like he was calling Wales and Wikipedia foolish, he added in a message to the Wikipedia founder, "was only referring to Twitter in response to explicit tweet suggesting we lacked courage for not shutting down..." µ
Tags: Internet
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Jon said: "and no one gives a shitze"
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You're wrong because the MPAA themselves have reacted to the blackout describing it as "dangerous" and an "abuse of power".
Why would they bother to comment and call it an 'abuse of power' if the blackout was trivial and of no significance or importance?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-57360499-52/mpaa-blasts-dangerous-anti-sopa-blackouts-as-stunts/
The hypocrisy of the MPAA is stunning given that they are the biggest abusers of power going. Since when did making films give you the right to extradite under terrorism agreements or strong-arm Governments into imposing laws that are enforced world-wide regardless of legal jurisdiction? They are totally out of control.
Besides, if a web site wants to blackout, what the f*ck has it got to do with the MPAA? People can do whatever they damn well choose with THEIR OWN web sites.
The MPAA should just STFU and mind its own business.
...and no one gives a shitze.
I am going to park my car in the middle of the freeway during rush hour traffic tomorrow. Hold up a big sign that says "Fuck you SOPA"!
JUST COPY IT AND HOST IT THEMSELVES, ITS NOT AS IF ANYBODY OWNS ANY OF THAT CONTENT, ESPECIALLY WIKIMEDIA. THEY SHOULD RUN THAT IDIOT JIMY WALES OFF, FAILING THAT SOMEBODY SHOULD JUST MAKE A COPY OF THE ENTIRE SITE AND RUN IT INDEPENDENT. WHOS GOING TO STOP ME?
I mean, Twitter goes down all the time just doing its normal functions. Would taking it down for a day in protest be any worse?