Today marks a major shift in the politics of Wikipedia, the site famous for being a free source of information (and occasional misinformation) for anyone in the world with an Internet connection. The key to Wikipedia’s success is that it contains articles on just about any product, company, band, TV show, or idea in existence – and describing these often requires use of names, images, storylines, trademarks, or other materials that can be problematic under copyright law, but generally are not when used in the context of simply providing information.
But, in response to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) – bills that, if passed by Congress, could cause any foreign website accused of copyright infringement to be shuttered by the U.S. Government without substantial evidence – Wikipedia has pledged to keep its English-language website offline for 24 hours today in protest.
What inspired the site to abandon its neutrality and take a stance on a political issue? The “blackout” was truly a long time coming. Various incarnations of SOPA/PIPA have been floating around in Congress since at least May 2011 before Reddit and a handful of other sites finally sparked the idea of taking major websites offline for anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. Even Google will have a notice about the bills on its homepage today.
The goal, of course, is to raise awareness that if SOPA/PIPA passed, censorship of foreign websites based on allegations of copyright infringement could run rampant. Additionally, sites such as Wikipedia would be compelled by court order to make sure that no links on their page directed users to a “foreign infringing site,” meaning that sites would either have to spend time and resources checking links on their respective pages, or shut down entirely. Foreign websites that don’t have money to contest copyright infringement charges in court would, frankly, be screwed. For a more technical overview of the bills and their effects, see this Reddit blog post.
Wikipedia users came to a consensus on the blackout, according to a letter from the Wikimedia Foundation’s Executive Director, and administrators decided to make it an English-only blackout after some users expressed dismay at the possibility of it being extended across all languages. But the damage will be done: the English-language Wikipedia pages alone are a source of information for millions of people every day, for everyone from high school students to housewives.
Even students who claim not to care about politics need to be paying attention – because SOPA and PIPA were written by Congressmen who seem out of touch with the possibilities of the Internet and the freedom of expression it allows. The Internet allows students to reach out and embrace an entire world of knowledge, not just what their professors offer in the classroom. And while the Obama administration is making vague threats to veto the bills if passed, conservatives such as Rupert Murdoch have taken to Twitter to accuse the President of being hypocritical and not supporting American entertainment industry jobs.
In other words, while public opinion will probably be vastly against SOPA/PIPA once everyday netizens get informed, it’s not easy to overpower the chairman of News Corporation and other media moguls who have a direct interest in keeping Americans from accessing foreign news sites. Democracy requires participation – and with legislation this powerful, it’s going to take a lot more than a bunch of the usual Internet activists and tech geeks to shut down SOPA and PIPA.
Getting rid of due process of law in the name of stopping piracy is insanely unjust, but it may only be the first of many attacks on freedom of speech to come. In theory, because of the broad nature of the bill, everything from your favorite overseas news site to Facebook itself could be blocked – so fight back. Take a moment to write to your Senator and member of Congress. It’s worth spending two minutes to speak out against something that could directly affect you for the rest of your life.
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