Wikipedia has decided to protest against SOPA law. iDevel0p shares their motivations and would like to share the information given by Wikipedia. Wikipedia is protesting against SOPA and PIPA by blacking
out the English Wikipedia for 24 hours, beginning at midnight January 18,
Eastern Time. Readers who come to English Wikipedia during the blackout will
not be able to read the encyclopedia. Instead, you will see messages intended
to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA, encouraging you to share your views with
your representatives, and with each other on social media.
What are SOPA and PIPA?
SOPA and PIPA represent two bills in the United States House
of Representatives and the United States Senate respectively. SOPA is short for
the "Stop Online Piracy Act," and PIPA is an acronym for the
"Protect IP Act." ("IP" stands for "intellectual
property.") In short, these bills are efforts to stop copyright infringement
committed by foreign web sites, but, in our opinion, they do so in a way that
actually infringes free expression while harming the Internet. Detailed
information about these bills can be found in the Stop Online Piracy Act and
PROTECT IP Act articles on Wikipedia, which are available during the blackout.
GovTrack lets you follow both bills through the legislative process: SOPA on
this page, and PIPA on this one. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a
non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the public interest in the
digital realm, has summarized why these bills are simply unacceptable in a
world that values an open, secure, and free Internet.
Why is the blackout happening?
Wikipedians have chosen to black out the English Wikipedia
for the first time ever, because we are concerned that SOPA and PIPA will
severely inhibit people's access to online information. This is not a problem
that will solely affect people in the United States: it will affect everyone
around the world.
Why? SOPA and PIPA are badly drafted legislation that won't
be effective at their stated goal (to stop copyright infringement), and will
cause serious damage to the free and open Internet. They put the burden on
website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary
blocking of entire sites. Small sites won't have sufficient resources to defend
themselves. Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their
foreign competitors, even if copyright isn't being infringed. Foreign sites
will be blacklisted, which means they won't show up in major search engines.
And, SOPA and PIPA build a framework for future restrictions and suppression.
Does this mean that Wikipedia itself is violating copyright
laws, or hosting pirated content?
No, not at all. Some supporters of SOPA and PIPA
characterize everyone who opposes them as cavalier about copyright, but that is
not accurate. Wikipedians are knowledgeable about copyright and vigilant in
protecting against violations: Wikipedians spend thousands of hours every week
reviewing and removing infringing content. We are careful about it because our
mission is to share knowledge freely. To that end, all Wikipedians release
their contributions under a free license, and all the material we offer is
freely licensed. Free licenses are incompatible with copyright infringement,
and so infringement is not tolerated.
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?
No, neither SOPA nor PIPA is dead. On January 17th, SOPA's
sponsor said the bill will be discussed in early February. There are signs PIPA
may be debated on the Senate floor next week. Moreover, SOPA and PIPA are just
indicators of a much broader problem. In many jurisdictions around the world,
we're seeing the development of legislation that prioritizes overly-broad
copyright enforcement laws, laws promoted by power players, over the
preservation of individual civil liberties.
How could SOPA and PIPA hurt Wikipedia?
SOPA and PIPA are a threat to Wikipedia in many ways. For
example, in its current form, SOPA would require Wikipedia to actively monitor
every site we link to, to ensure it doesn't host infringing content. Any link
to an infringing site could put us in jeopardy of being forced offline.
I live in the United States. What's the best way for me to
help?
The most effective action you can take is to call your
representatives and tell them you oppose SOPA and PIPA, and any similar
legislation. Type your zipcode in the locator box to find your representatives'
contact information. Text-based communication is okay, but phone calls have the
most impact.
I don't live in the United States. How can I help?
Contact your local State Department, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, or similar branch of government. Tell them you oppose SOPA and PIPA,
and any similar legislation. SOPA and PIPA will affect sites outside of the
United States, and actions to sites inside the United States (like Wikipedia)
will also affect non-American readers -- like you. Calling your own government
will also let them know you don't want them to create their own bad
anti-Internet legislation.
Is it still possible to access Wikipedia in any way?
Yes. During the blackout, Wikipedia is accessible on mobile
devices and smart phones. You can also view Wikipedia normally by disabling
JavaScript in your browser, as explained on this Technical FAQ page. Our
purpose here isn't to make it completely impossible for people to read
Wikipedia, and it's okay for you to circumvent the blackout. We just want to
make sure you see our message.
I keep hearing that this is a fight between Hollywood and
Silicon Valley. Is that true?
No. Some people are characterizing it that way, probably in
an effort to imply all the participants are motivated by commercial
self-interest. But it's obviously not that simple. The proof of that is
Wikipedia's involvement. Wikipedia has no financial self-interest at play here:
we do not benefit from copyright infringement, nor are we trying to monetize
traffic or sell ads. We are protesting to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA
solely because we think they will hurt the Internet, and your ability to access
information online. We are doing this for you, because we're on your side.
In carrying out this protest, is Wikipedia abandoning
neutrality?
We hope you continue to trust Wikipedia to be a neutral
information source. We are staging this blackout because (as Wikimedia
Foundation Trustee Kat Walsh said recently), although Wikipedia’s articles are
neutral, its existence is not. For over a decade, Wikipedians have spent
millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Wikipedia
is a tremendously useful resource, and its existence depends upon a free, open
and uncensored Internet. SOPA and PIPA (and other similar laws under discussion
inside and outside the United States) will hurt you, because they will make it
impossible for sites you enjoy, and benefit from, to continue to exist. That's
why we're doing this.
I have a question that isn't answered here, or, I would like
to send feedback to Wikipedia.
You can reach Wikipedia editors at
info-en(at)wikimedia(dot)org. If you need a response, please be patient: we may
have trouble keeping up with the mail.
