SOPA and PIPA - Learn More - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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SOPA and PIPA - Learn moreFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

< Wikipedia:SOPA initiative

Why is Wikipedia blacked-out?

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 Actand PROTECT IP Actarticles on Wikipedia, which are available during the blackout.

GovTrack lets you follow both bills through the legislative process: SOPA on this page

(http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-3261) , and PIPA on this one (http://www.govtrack.us

/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s112-968) . 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 (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/01/how-pipa-and-sopa-violate-white-house-principles-

supporting-free-speech) 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

A and PIPA - Learn more - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Le

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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 (https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml) . 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 affectnon-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

(https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/English_Wikipedia_SOPA_blackout/Technical_FAQ%20) . 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.


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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 Wikipedias 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.

What can I read to get more information?

Try these links:

Wikipedia's articles on SOPA and PIPA

Statement from Wikipedia editors announcing decision to black out

Wikimedia Foundation press release

Blog post from Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Sue Gardner

(http://blog.wikimedia.org/2012/01/16/wikipedias-community-calls-for-anti-sopa-blackout-

january-18/)

Electronic Frontier Foundation blog post on the problems with SOPA/PIPA (https://www.eff.org

/deeplinks/2012/01/how-pipa-and-sopa-violate-white-house-principles-supporting-free-speech)

As of 6AM PT, January 18, Google has more than 4,600 articles about the blackout. Here are a few:

Why is Wikipedia staging a blackout and what is SOPA? (http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01

/17/why-is-there-going-to-be-a-wikipedia-blackout-and-what-is-sopa/) , from the National Post

Wikipedia joins blackout protest at US anti-piracy moves (http://www.bbc.co.uk

/news/technology-16590585) , from the British Broadcasting Corporation

Wikipedia blackout over US anti-piracy bills (http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/01

/201211845612779961.html) and FEATURE: Websites blackout over 'SOPA censorship'

(http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/01/2012117154358351284.html) , from Al

Jazeera

Wikipedia, Craigslist, other sites go black in SOPA protest (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com

/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2012/01/wikipedia-craigslist-other-sites-shut-down-in-sopa-

blackout.html) , from the Los Angeles Times

Google Rallies Opposition to Murdoch-Backed Anti-Piracy Bill (http://www.businessweek.com

/news/2012-01-18/google-rallies-opposition-to-murdoch-backed-anti-piracy-bill.html) , from

BusinessWeek

SOPA protest: The Net strikes back (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71584.html) ,

from Politico

Wikipedia blackout a 'gimmick', MPAA boss claims (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology

/2012/jan/17/wikipedia-blackout-tech-firms-sopa?newsfeed=true) , from the Guardian


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Wikipedia 24-hour blackout: a reader (http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2012/01

/wikipedia-legislation) and Why we're taking Wikipedia down for a day

(http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2012/01/wikipedia-copyright-community) ,

from the New Statesman

Internet-wide protests against SOPA/PIPA are kicking up a storm

(http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/IndustryTrends/Internet-wide-protests-against-

SOPA-PIPA-are-kicking-up-a-storm/SP-Article1-798839.aspx) , by the Hindustan Times

SOPA, PIPA: What you need to know (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57360665-503544/sopa-pipa-what-you-need-to-know/) , from CBS News

Protest on Web Uses Shutdown to Take On Two Piracy Bills (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01

/18/technology/web-wide-protest-over-two-antipiracy-bills.html?_r=1&hp) , from the New York

Times

Protesting SOPA: how to make your voice heard (http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012

/01/protesting-sopa-what-you-can-do.ars) , from Ars Technica

Why We've Censored Wired.com (http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/01/why-weve-

censored-wired-com/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter) , from Wired

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This page was last modified on 18 January 2012 at 14:53.

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