Internet Blackout Protests Gov’t Authority to Blackout Internet

A few months ago, when the issue first arose, we asked whether or not SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act), if implemented, would be effective in protecting intellectual property theft online. Ultimately, would it and its companion bill, PIPA (the Protect IP Act) be more helpful than harmful? This week, the Internet community responded in unison with a resounding no.

This Wednesday, many of the Internet’s most popular websites — including Google and Wikipedia — spent 24-hours taking a stand in protest of the imposing legislation. By blacking out their pages and redirecting users to digital anti-censorship petitions as well as encouraging calls to state representatives, Wikipedia, Reddit, Craigslist, and dozens of other high traffic sites aimed to show users and law makers alike the importance of the freedom to access information.

Google chose to less officially participate in this blackout. Instead of closing the search engine for 24 hours, which undoubtedly would have led to problems for users worldwide, Google implemented the blackout on its logo only. Beneath the search bar it featured a link prompting users to sign a petition to Congress. Meanwhile, Tumblr put the decision in the hands of its audience, giving bloggers the option to blackout their blogs in protest.

On the websites that were not blacked out, however, SOPA and PIPA were far from forgotten. Whether in the form of complaints about beloved websites being unavailable, shared links to petitions, discussions, or media reports on the progress of both pieces of legislation, this potential censorship and the actions it rallied reached all corners of the web. Through the petition link featured on Google’s homepage alone, an additional 4.5 million names were added against SOPA and PIPA .

Before the 24 hour protest was finished, President Obama announced that he would not support the bill. Shortly thereafter, Senator Marco Rubio withdrew as a co-sponsor of PIPA. Senators John Cornyn, Roy Blunt, John Boozman, and Orrin Hatch all followed suit. Similarly, Representatives Ben Quayle and Lee Terry have announced that they will no longer support SOPA as it is written.

While many lawmakers have been swayed by the outcries of the Internet community at large, others remain unmoved. Representative Lamar Smith stated that he stands behind SOPA regardless of the widespread criticism it was subjected to as a result of Wednesday’s protest. Therefore SOPA, although delayed for the time being, is not to be dismissed just yet.  Just as when the issue first arose, concerned Internet users can stay informed about these two pieces of legislation through BOTW-approved websites containing news and legal information pertaining to the Internet, online piracy, and related intellectual property matters.

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