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17/01/2012
Wikipedia To Stage 24 Hour 'Blackout' Protest
The world's largest online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, is to shut down its site for 24 hours on Wednesday in protest against new laws against internet piracy.
Posting on its website on Tuesday, Wikipedia announced its decision to "black out" the English-language side of its site for 24 hours, worldwide, beginning at 5.00am on Wednesday, January 18.
According to the site, the blackout is a protest against proposed legislation in the United States - the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the US House of Representatives and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the US Senate – that Wikipedia says will seriously damage the free and open Internet, including Wikipedia.
In a statement, the site's administrators said: "It is the opinion of the English Wikipedia community that both of these bills, if passed, would be devastating to the free and open web."
The shut-down will be the first time the English Wikipedia has ever staged a public protest of this nature.
Sue Gardner, Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation said: "My hope is that when Wikipedia shuts down on January 18, people will understand that we’re doing it for our readers. We support everyone’s right to freedom of thought and freedom of expression.
"We think everyone should have access to educational material on a wide range of subjects, even if they can’t pay for it. We believe in a free and open Internet where information can be shared without impediment.
"We believe that new proposed laws like SOPA—and PIPA, and other similar laws under discussion inside and outside the United States—don’t advance the interests of the general public."
(DW)
Posting on its website on Tuesday, Wikipedia announced its decision to "black out" the English-language side of its site for 24 hours, worldwide, beginning at 5.00am on Wednesday, January 18.
According to the site, the blackout is a protest against proposed legislation in the United States - the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the US House of Representatives and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the US Senate – that Wikipedia says will seriously damage the free and open Internet, including Wikipedia.
In a statement, the site's administrators said: "It is the opinion of the English Wikipedia community that both of these bills, if passed, would be devastating to the free and open web."
The shut-down will be the first time the English Wikipedia has ever staged a public protest of this nature.
Sue Gardner, Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation said: "My hope is that when Wikipedia shuts down on January 18, people will understand that we’re doing it for our readers. We support everyone’s right to freedom of thought and freedom of expression.
"We think everyone should have access to educational material on a wide range of subjects, even if they can’t pay for it. We believe in a free and open Internet where information can be shared without impediment.
"We believe that new proposed laws like SOPA—and PIPA, and other similar laws under discussion inside and outside the United States—don’t advance the interests of the general public."
(DW)
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