General Discussions

Came across this just now very concerning about the freedom of the Internet, i am not happy i like wiki just for reading etc.

"Wikipedia has blacked out the English language version of its website in protest at anti-piracy laws being considered by the US government.

Users attempting to access the site were met with a black screen and the statement: "Imagine a world without free knowledge."

The website, which shut down at 5am British time, will go dark for 24 hours, the foundation behind the popular community-based online encyclopaedia said, in an unprecedented move that brings added muscle to a growing base of critics of the legislation. Wikipedia is considered one of the internet's most popular websites, with millions of visitors daily.

"If passed, this legislation will harm the free and open internet and bring about new tools for censorship of international websites inside the United States," the Wikimedia foundation said.

The Stop Online Piracy Act in the US House of Representatives and the Protect Intellectual Property Act under consideration in the Senate are designed to crack down on sales of pirated US products overseas.

Supporters include the film and music industry, which often sees its products sold illegally. They say the legislation is needed to protect intellectual property and jobs.

Critics say the laws could hurt the technology industry and infringe free speech rights. Among their concerns are provisions that would weaken cyber security for companies and hinder domain access rights.

The most controversial provision is in the House bill, which would have enabled authorities to "blacklist" sites that are alleged to distribute pirated content. That would essentially cut off portions of the internet to all US users. But congressional leaders appear to be backing off from this provision."

Oddly, I have access to the English version of Wikipedia. Maybe it's only down in the States?

I've seen several other websites, including webcomics, either block access for a day or display a big notice. It's something of a pain though, since there are instances where I can only access the site if I enter details and contact my local politician, but I'm not American and thus it's impossible.

Just stop the page from fully loading and the flash won't block you out, it's inconvenient but simple.

It's blocked here and even if it's a simple block, but I respect it.

If you had java disabled you could access it.

I saw the blackout on that site, as well as alot of other websites. I also say a ton of commentators (including myself) that were uploading videos on YouTube relating to SOPA/PIPA. I have however, heard that those bills have been shut down in Congress for the time being and therefore, are not passed.

So, thanks to all that helped shut down these bills

They're not dead. They where "filed away" to be pursued at a later date (probably with a ton of amemendents and/or completely rewritten).

Wow!!!! That is a breath of fresh air,maybe just maybe some people that matter have had for the moment, second thoughts lets hope so,and Thanks to Neo7 for the update