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Websites Black Out over "SOPA Censorship"
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Written By: Chris Arsenault*/ipsnews
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Posted Date: 1/18/2012 12:36:11 PM
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The number one rule young journalists are taught when starting
radio broadcasting is simple: No dead air. Cough into the
microphone if you must, but don't allow silence to creep in.
For websites, going offline is the same premise - a definite faux
pas. Despite this, Wikipedia, Reddit and other leading sites blacked
out on Wednesday to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the
legislation which, critics say, will curtail freedom of speech by
censoring internet content.
"Imagine you are a merchant selling things and the government could
walk into your store, take your cash register without warning, notice
or due process and you wouldn't know they had taken it until it was
already gone," Nick Farr, an IT consultant who advises start-up
internet firms, told Al Jazeera. "That is basically the equivalent of
what they are trying to do online."
The White House recently joined founders of the internet and other
cyber activists to denounce SOPA - which it says "reduces freedom of
expression, increases cyber security risk or undermines the dynamic,
innovative global internet".
Andrew McDiarmid, a policy analyst with the Centre for Democracy and
Technology who has been following the legislation, called the White
House statement a "major development" and a "strong signal" that the
legislation "has not been fully examined". Some analysts believe the
bill will be killed with the White House's newfound opposition, but
others - including the founder of Wikipedia - aren't so sure.
"We have no indication that SOPA is fully off the table…" Jimmy Wales
tweeted. "We need to send Washington a BIG message."
Other media and technology companies, including Google, Facebook,
Yahoo, Twitter, eBay and AOL have also spoken out against the
legislation, although they will not be blacking out in protest. The
blackout of Wikipedia's English language site will last 24 hours.
'Rogue' sites
While SOPA is floundering politically, another piece of controversial
internet legislation - the Protect IP Act (PIPA) - is still being
considered by the U.S. Senate.
Supporters, including the film industry, say the legislation is
designed to protect intellectual property rights on the internet by
allowing law enforcement officials to shut down "rogue" websites
associated with piracy and copyright infringement.
Michael O'Leary, a spokesperson for the Motion Picture Association of
America, an industry trade group, called |
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