Archive:SOPA/Learn more

Learn more about SOPA/PIPA below

The Wikipedia community has authorized a blackout of the English version of Wikipedia for 24 hours on January 18th in protest of proposed legislation — the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECTIP Act (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate — that, if passed, will harm the free, secure, and open Internet. These bills endanger free speech both in the United States and abroad, setting a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world. You can take action by visiting XXX (URL for main action splash page).

More information

Blog post from Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director, Sue Gardner:

http://blog.wikimedia.org/2012/01/16/wikipedias-community-calls-for-anti-sopa-blackout-january-18/

Official Wikimedia Foundation Press Release:

http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/English_Wikipedia_to_go_dark

Statement From the Community Affirming Blackout

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Action

Electronic Frontier Foundation blog post on the lingering faults in SOPA/PIPA

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/01/how-pipa-and-sopa-violate-white-house-principles-supporting-free-speech

Questions and Answers

What exactly is Wikipedia doing?

On January 18, 2012 the English Wikipedia community will be protesting SOPA/PIPA with a global Wikipedia blackout. Readers who come to Wikipedia will see a message from Wikipedia about SOPA/PIPA that tells them to contact their Representatives or Senators to act. This protest will last 24hrs - from midnight to midnight EST.

Why is this happening?

Our English Wikipedia community is opposed to SOPA/PIPA. In an unprecedented decision, the Wikipedia community has chosen to blackout the English version of Wikipedia for 24 hours, in protest against proposed legislation in the United States — the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, and PROTECTIP (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate. 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.

Wikipedia can only exist in an open, secure, and uncensored Internet. SOPA, PIPA, or any future legislation that censors free speech, damages Internet security, or inhibits innovation will hurt and undermine the Internet and the work of our community.

Isn't SOPA dead? Wasn't the bill shelved and didn't the White House declare that it won't sign anything that resembles the current bill?

We have no information that SOPA/PIPA are actually dead. In fact, there are strong signs that PIPA may be debated before the Senate floor next week. SOPA appears to be only in a tactical retreat. As long as we see the threat of SOPA/PIPA on the horizon, we're going to carry out this protest and send a message that any proposed legislation of this kind that attacks the free and open web isn't welcome.

Aren’t SOPA/PIPA as they stand not even really a threat to Wikipedia? DNS provisions will be removed?

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a great post about this here. SOPA/PIPA are still alive, and they’re still a threat to the free and open web. Even with the DNS provisions removed, the bill would give the US government extraordinary powers to take control over content and information on the free web. In its current form the bill would also require US websites to take on the duty of actively policing links for infringing content. There's more to it than that - taking one provision out doesn't make the bill okay - it's all still terrible for the free and open web.

What about OPEN?

The OPEN Act is another piece of legislation that is different from SOPA, and we're looking at it, but SOPA/PIPA are the current focus.

Did the Italian Wikipedia’s protest action last year achieve its goal of stopping the Italian law in question?

It seems likely that the efforts of the Italian Wikipedia community around a similar Internet censorship bill compelled the Italian Parliament to withdraw consideration of the bill. This gives us some context on the thinking around SOPA and PIPA of course. Virtually everyone in the Wikipedia community is aware of that effort.

Do you think US voters will respond to this action?

The focus of the message on the Wikipedia blackout page is likely to be action-oriented, with strong encouragement that US citizens reading the message get in touch with their representatives and voice their displeasure over SOPA and PIPA. This effort is newsworthy to the US and global press, and it’s very significant because it will expand the story beyond tech and media insiders to a wider public audience. Many up to this point have not heard much about the issue.

What is the significance of acting in concert with other major sites? Will this really produce a politically effective message beyond acting in isolation?

The Wikipedia community has chosen January 18th because that was the date the U.S. House of Representatives had contemplated hearings around SOPA. Though the hearings have been rescheduled, likely due to the increased public attention around the issue, the threat of the legislation moving forward continues. The community feels this is the right time to act.

When many organizations and projects align and protest like this, there’s clearly a big net effect. There’s no question this makes the story bigger than if one site, say Wikipedia, protested alone. Ultimately though it doesn’t look like we’re just following in the steps of others. Our community has strong views about this - and has from the beginning. It doesn’t simply look like they’re viewing activism in terms of how other sites are responding. Conversely, a lot of those other sites are very much looking to Wikipedia to see how our community is responding.

How can I get around this blockout to access Wikipedia? TBD