Black Wednesday: The day the Web went dark
by Zack Whittaker | January 18, 2012 5:26am PST | Image 1 of 18
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The day the Internet is on strike
SOPA and PROTECT-IP (also known as "PIPA"), along with the OPEN Act are bills currently in Congress, which threaten the very existence of the web. It will enable rights holders to legitimately -- and even fradulantly -- shut down websites that allegedly infringe copyright. They are censorship bills.
Today, the web has fallen silent, blacked out its pages, become dark, and effectively gone on strike. From Wikipedia to Google, even Firefox users are affected, as are other major online communities.
This gallery will show you some of the major websites that have gone dark or offline today.
Just In
not enough impact, facebook and twitter need to join the cause
@bak1818 : Agreed. It would be a lot more effective with both of those sites involved.
So Wikipedia's blackout is rather lackluster. They use Javascript to redirect to their "blackout" page, so turn off Javascript and you can use Wikipedia just fine.
@Aerowind: How is it I can go directly to Wiki's main page, and it says "The English Wikipedia is currently locked for the SOPA/PIPA blackout", but then I click Search and type away? Because everything I'm finding on Wiki right now is in....
(wait for it)
ENGLISH.
(wait for it)
ENGLISH.
@Aerowind
They havnt done it to deny access to wikipedia, they did it to bring attention to the cause. so they purposefully made it easy to circumvent.
They havnt done it to deny access to wikipedia, they did it to bring attention to the cause. so they purposefully made it easy to circumvent.
So Wikipedia's blackout is rather lackluster. They use Javascript to redirect to their "blackout" page, so turn off Javascript and you can use Wikipedia just fine.
@Aerowind You actually think most Americans know how to disable JavaScript? Doubtful... Moot argument.
@luispedroza
You're right. And those that do know how to disable JavaScript (ie, techies, geeks, etc) are most-likely also already knowledgable of the SOPA and PIPA bills. This blackout is intend to gather the attention of the unknowing, non-techie public.
You're right. And those that do know how to disable JavaScript (ie, techies, geeks, etc) are most-likely also already knowledgable of the SOPA and PIPA bills. This blackout is intend to gather the attention of the unknowing, non-techie public.
@Aerowind OK, well, the intent is very clear. Congrats for finding a work around. We all bow to your Java-ness intellect. The point was made. If we don't do something, most of the internet will be like this....
Congresscritters who have sold their souls to big media are by definition CORRUPT!
Opposing this big media attack on the American People is not enough. Vote these corrupt politicians OUT OF OFFICE!
Opposing this big media attack on the American People is not enough. Vote these corrupt politicians OUT OF OFFICE!
To Wikipedia and google because those company's positions agree with you.
@baggins_z
This isn't about being a fan of company x or company y. This is about special interests corrupting our elected officials and pushing legislation which is a direct attack on our freedoms.
It's astounding that some people become such irrational fanbois that they would actually argue for the erosion of their own liberty.
SOPA and PIPA expose the blatant corruption which has thoroughly infected our system. Anyone who proposes such legislation or supports it is, IMHO corrupt.
So, by all means, continue with the ignorant 'my team is better than their team' garbage.
This isn't about being a fan of company x or company y. This is about special interests corrupting our elected officials and pushing legislation which is a direct attack on our freedoms.
It's astounding that some people become such irrational fanbois that they would actually argue for the erosion of their own liberty.
SOPA and PIPA expose the blatant corruption which has thoroughly infected our system. Anyone who proposes such legislation or supports it is, IMHO corrupt.
So, by all means, continue with the ignorant 'my team is better than their team' garbage.
Thanks for proving my point. You're totally OK with congresscritters selling their souls to companies as long as those companies agree with you.
Where was this righteous indignation when campaign finance reform was passed or health care reform, both of which do more real damage to your freedoms than SOPA or PIPA will.
Where was this righteous indignation when campaign finance reform was passed or health care reform, both of which do more real damage to your freedoms than SOPA or PIPA will.
@baggins_z ---to add to your comment re campaign finance reform: Our biggest consent to allowing Congress and Bush's attack on our liberty was the so called "patriot act." Yeah, I avoided cap lock on purpose.
Where was this righteous indignation when campaign finance reform was passed or health care reform, both of which do more real damage to your freedoms than SOPA or PIPA will.
That is your opinion, of course. You do realize that, don't you?
And is this blog really about health care reform or campaign finance reform?
I suggest you re-read the title of this blog again.
That is your opinion, of course. You do realize that, don't you?
And is this blog really about health care reform or campaign finance reform?
I suggest you re-read the title of this blog again.
@Tim Patterson, I got a better. idea. vote them out of office will not be enough, I say run these jerks out of office and put them in prison for violating our rights!!
@Tim Patterson
Enough is enough, we need to remind congress that the government of this country is accountable to THE PEOPLE and not special interests
Enough is enough, we need to remind congress that the government of this country is accountable to THE PEOPLE and not special interests
@Tim Patterson Our congressmen and senators take corporate money to buy our votes, then behave like employees of those same corporations. I am going to vote against my incumbent congressman and senator in the next election and I ask that you join me. A wholesale firing of our congress will get their attention. "We The People" need to reassert our control of congress, and teach them that the "For Sale" sign will no longer be tolerated.
@steve6225 Great idea, except that it presently takes money, lots 'n lots of money, to run for congressional seats also. I can't afford to run, I assume you don't have the funds to carry on against a well financed opponent, so guess who's going to run and fill the fired vacancies. Yep, more Citizens United enabled self serving big boys ...and girls. The Citizens United ruling needs to be addressed before any meaningful change can be made.
@Tim Patterson :
It's not about big media but, rather, about big government and control... Think of the media angle as a ruse. Over the last two years especially, there have been increasing congressional entities pushing outward, not the media pushing inward. Jay Rockefeller, the gentleman from WV, and fellow congressional cohorts and allies in the White House and Homeland Security have increasingly become vocal about justifying their views and while also lobbying support for these measures often under the radar... Don't be fooled... Check it out.
It's not about big media but, rather, about big government and control... Think of the media angle as a ruse. Over the last two years especially, there have been increasing congressional entities pushing outward, not the media pushing inward. Jay Rockefeller, the gentleman from WV, and fellow congressional cohorts and allies in the White House and Homeland Security have increasingly become vocal about justifying their views and while also lobbying support for these measures often under the radar... Don't be fooled... Check it out.
@Tim Patterson :
@Tim Patterson :
It's not about big media but, rather, about big government and control... Think of the media angle as a ruse. Over the last two years especially, there have been increasing congressional entities pushing outward, not the media pushing inward. Jay Rockefeller, the gentleman from WV, and fellow congressional cohorts and allies in the White House and Homeland Security have increasingly become vocal about justifying their views and while also lobbying support for these measures often under the radar... Don't be fooled... Check it out.
@Tim Patterson :
It's not about big media but, rather, about big government and control... Think of the media angle as a ruse. Over the last two years especially, there have been increasing congressional entities pushing outward, not the media pushing inward. Jay Rockefeller, the gentleman from WV, and fellow congressional cohorts and allies in the White House and Homeland Security have increasingly become vocal about justifying their views and while also lobbying support for these measures often under the radar... Don't be fooled... Check it out.
Google something, anything. Then click the Wiki link about whatever you just Googled.
@tw1975 I did, and I get the blackout. Why "hot air"? I should mention that the blackout is only on en.wikipedia.org.
i think that sopa and pipa wouldn???t stop piracy..,my friend's mom makes $76 hourly on the computer. She has been out of a job for 9 months but last month her pay was $7454 just working on the computer for a few hours. Read more here... makecash16.com
@DaltonDee Wow, that takes cajones.... Turn an activist stand into an advertising stunt... Think SOPA or PIPA would reduce these sort of things? Highly doubtful..
The only way to get those clown's in Washington's attention would be to shut the whole thing down for a day or two.
@rdw551
For a day......
oh wait.....
They do that routinely to themselves.
No wonder they don't see the harm.
For a day......
oh wait.....
They do that routinely to themselves.
No wonder they don't see the harm.
Although I agree with what is being done in principal It will in my opinion do no good long term. This is just shooting yourselves in the foot. What is needed is to hurt, legally, the people promoting these things financially by not using their services, or responding to their advertising on a worldwide basis, and to vote out of office any legislator agreeing or promoting the idea.
@ronangel
The awareness is important. The problem is that so many Americans are online, and yet, somehow, are completely ignorant of SOPA. The typical American, so far as I can tell, deliberately tries to achieve new and unplumbed depths of stupidity and ignorance. The only way to get their attention is to interrupt their video of kittens fighting dogs.
The awareness is important. The problem is that so many Americans are online, and yet, somehow, are completely ignorant of SOPA. The typical American, so far as I can tell, deliberately tries to achieve new and unplumbed depths of stupidity and ignorance. The only way to get their attention is to interrupt their video of kittens fighting dogs.
@tkejlboom
If I could vote this comment up, I would. +1
If I could vote this comment up, I would. +1
Although I agree with what is being done in principal It will in my opinion do no good long term. This is just shooting yourselves in the foot. What is needed is to hurt, legally, the people promoting these things financially by not using their services, or responding to their advertising on a worldwide basis, and to vote out of office any legislator agreeing or promoting the idea.
Is this not just potentially websites that are based in the US? I'm in the UK and could give two squirts for US legislation.
@haggis75
No it could actually effect you more as it could make websites outside the US unreachable by those within. This could seriously harm international commerce.
No it could actually effect you more as it could make websites outside the US unreachable by those within. This could seriously harm international commerce.
@haggis75 Actually, the purpose of the bill is to take down internationally hosted pages. This means it affects all of us, no matter where we're from.
that violate U.S. property right laws for commercial gain.
@haggis75
Sorry you are very misinformed. If SOPA went ahead, all non-US Internet DNS servers would remove all US IP addresses to avoid US censorship takedowns interfering with the rest of the world web, ie us in the UK. This would shut down the entire internet for nearly a week or so. THEN the fun really begins. All non-US traffic would be re-routed away from the US causing the hugest slow-down of the internet imaginable - there isn't enough capacity on non-US routes and many trunk international routes go via the US at present. This slowdown would last for years until new capacity is built outside of the US, ie forget streamed videos or internet TV. . . And if it went ahead in the US, the US would soon pressurize many other countries to follow suit, as they have already attempted/ succeeded with on Spain. So yes it would affect us in the UK very greatly indeed. And we would find access to ANY US website difficult and very slow - and nearly every free site in the US would vanish completely, as in gone for good!
Sorry you are very misinformed. If SOPA went ahead, all non-US Internet DNS servers would remove all US IP addresses to avoid US censorship takedowns interfering with the rest of the world web, ie us in the UK. This would shut down the entire internet for nearly a week or so. THEN the fun really begins. All non-US traffic would be re-routed away from the US causing the hugest slow-down of the internet imaginable - there isn't enough capacity on non-US routes and many trunk international routes go via the US at present. This slowdown would last for years until new capacity is built outside of the US, ie forget streamed videos or internet TV. . . And if it went ahead in the US, the US would soon pressurize many other countries to follow suit, as they have already attempted/ succeeded with on Spain. So yes it would affect us in the UK very greatly indeed. And we would find access to ANY US website difficult and very slow - and nearly every free site in the US would vanish completely, as in gone for good!
@chaz15 "all non-US Internet DNS servers would remove all US IP addresses to avoid US censorship takedowns interfering with the rest of the world web" ... your dreaming
OpenDNS also joined the fight. They have a banner on their main site and the Open DNS guide search results are redacted.
@Galdang
They're owned by CBS, which probably has sitting board members that also sit on studio boards. ZDNet doesn't openly and officially oppose SOPA sponsors, because ultimately, they are SOPA's sponsors.
They're owned by CBS, which probably has sitting board members that also sit on studio boards. ZDNet doesn't openly and officially oppose SOPA sponsors, because ultimately, they are SOPA's sponsors.
@tkejlboom While CBS does own ZDNet, and for the record, I can see why CBS supports SOPA, because it is a rights holder, ZDNet writers are (in the vast majority) freelancers. I suspect if we did a straw poll, most, if not all of our writers, myself included, would oppose SOPA, PIPA and OPEN in its entirety.
Remember, should SOPA go through, ZDNet, CNET and any other CBS-owned website is just at risk as any other site on the web. I kid you not.
Remember, should SOPA go through, ZDNet, CNET and any other CBS-owned website is just at risk as any other site on the web. I kid you not.
BoardGameGeek: (root page replaced-link to site at bottom)
http://boardgamegeek.com/
XKCD: (archives only)
http://xkcd.com/1002/
http://boardgamegeek.com/
XKCD: (archives only)
http://xkcd.com/1002/
BoardGameGeek: (root page replaced-link to site at bottom)
http://boardgamegeek.com/
XKCD: (archives only)
http://xkcd.com/1002/
http://boardgamegeek.com/
XKCD: (archives only)
http://xkcd.com/1002/
You should put a slash on WordPress.org because the .com part of the site also shows the blackout message.
What be more effective is for Google to go completely Drak for todays with a page for the reason. It would affect every person who works in Congress , for Congress, . the pResidnetial office, and the Supreme Court and its employees. I bet the congress would drop it like a hot potato so fast it would make there head spin.
@pjones
Because Google would lose millions in revenue even for one day. They talk a good line but they're as big a corporate wh0re as any of them.
Because Google would lose millions in revenue even for one day. They talk a good line but they're as big a corporate wh0re as any of them.
become that almost nobody commenting on SOPA has actually read the text of the bill.
Yet ZDNet is still up & running - I guess that shows which side of the fence Ziff Davis sits on
@inkwell Not Ziff Davis. See above comment.
.
MORE multi-webpage clicks?
I refuse to give ZD-NET MULTI-CLICK-THROUGH $$$
Or, pay me.
.
You know. . . this FORCED-MULTI-CLICK crap isn't to much different than those 5 hackers in Russia.
.
MORE multi-webpage clicks?
I refuse to give ZD-NET MULTI-CLICK-THROUGH $$$
Or, pay me.
.
You know. . . this FORCED-MULTI-CLICK crap isn't to much different than those 5 hackers in Russia.
.
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