Users of popular, everyday websites such as Google, Wikipedia, Wordpress and Craig's List ran into a virtual wall on Wednesday after these influential online titans enforced a 24-hour blackout on their home pages to protest against Internet regulations proposed by the US Congress. Wikipedia blacked out access to its widely-used, user-generated, free-source content. Inserting a search term took users briefly to the relevant page before it was replaced by a protest page with the headline "Imagine a world without free knowledge."
"For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the US Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia," it explained. Google had a black patch across its familiar logo, saying, "Tell Congress: Please Don't Censor the Web". Protesting against internet regulations proposed by the US Congress, Google, Wikipedia and Craig's List on Wednesday enforced a 24-hour blackout on their home pages. Clicking on the redacted logo took one to a petition beneath the slogan, "End piracy, not liberty", in which Google outlined its opposition to the proposed legislation.
"Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business," Google explained. "There's no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of US jobs."
Other lawmakers took a more reasoned stance. "Perhaps if these companies would participate constructively, they could point to what in the actual legislation they contend threatens their websites, and then we could dispel their misunderstandings," said Senator Patrick Leahy. "That is what debate on legislation is intended to do, to fine-tune the bill to confront the problem of stealing while protecting against unintended consequences."
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