Politics & Government
Web Blackout Protests Internet Censorship
Major websites like Google and Wikipedia went dark Tuesday night as part of a 24-hour protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). Do you support the acts? Take the poll.
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).
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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."
Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Visit the protest pages of Google, Craigslist and Wikipedia to learn their reasons for taking a stance against the acts.
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