It's a dark day for the web. Literally.
Google has blacked out its home page logo for the day, while Wikipedia has turned off the lights on its English-language pages. Craigslist, too, is leaving visitors in the dark.
These major websites, among others, began taking a 24-hour stand at midnight Eastern time Wednesday as a protest against two congressional bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).
Thousands of websites are showing their opposition against the bills, which, if passed, would allow for companies to seek a court order to ban websites that sell pirated content and merchandise.
Click here to read more about SOPA and PIPA in a report by the Huffington Post, or watch a video from TED on "why SOPA is a bad idea."
Visit the protest pages of Google, Craigslist and Wikipedia to learn their reasons for taking a stance against the acts.
