Websites across the Internet plan to go dark on Wednesday to protest Congress’ consideration of legislation that critics say will impose censorship and severely limit freedom of information.

 

Sites such as Wikipedia, reddit and boing boing will be among those taking down their content to speak out against SOPA, or the Stop Online Piracy Act, which the House plans to vote on this month. The Senate has its own anti-piracy bill, the Protect IP Act (or PIPA).

 

The bills would extend the authority of law enforcement and copyright holders (most notably Hollywood, the music industry, the publishing industry and professional sports leagues) over copyrighted material sold or distributed online. Opponents object to a provision that allows copyright holders to sue not just a website hosting unauthorized content—but also any other website linking to the offending site.

 

The legislation also would permit court orders to freeze a website’s accounts, ban search engines from linking to it, and prohibit companies from advertising on the site.

 

In preparation for the blackout, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales urged student fans of the site to “Do your homework early.”

 

In addition to Wikipedia, reddit and boing boing, websites opposed to the bills include Twitter, Facebook, Google, PayPal, Scribd, Vimeo and Etsy.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Wikipedia Blackout Coming Jan. 18, Says Co-Founder Jimmy Wales (by T.J. Ortenzi, Washington Post)

Reddit, Boing Boing Plan Website Blackout Over SOPA – But What Is It? (The Journal.ie)

How SOPA Would Affect You: FAQ (by Declan McCullagh, CNET)

List of Those Expressing Concern With SOPA & PIPA (Center for Democracy and Technology)