Wikipedia to take its English-language site offline

Wikipedia plans to take its English-language site offline on Wednesday as part of protests against proposed anti-piracy laws in the US. The user-generated news site Reddit and the blog Boing Boing have also said they will take part in the "blackout". The sites' webmasters are opposed to the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (Pipa) being debated by Congress. However, Twitter has declined to take part in the shutdown.

Wikipedia's founder, Jimmy Wales, told the BBC: "Proponents of Sopa have characterised the opposition as being people who want to enable piracy or defend piracy. "But that's not really the point. The point is the bill is so over broad and so badly written that it's going to impact all kinds of things that, you know, don't have anything to do with stopping piracy."

A statement issued by the White says that: "While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global internet."

More: BBC News - Wikipedia joins web blackout in Sopa protest

Globalisation will bring about the destruction of the glob.

Mixed feelings...

RussianRoulette said:

Mixed feelings...

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And what are they? While there is a need to protect IP rights, I think that if the proposed law is passed, it would too much power for content owners and the US government to request court orders to shut down websites associated with piracy.

EMT said:

A statement issued by the White says that: "While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global internet."

More: BBC News - Wikipedia joins web blackout in Sopa protest

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Wamezidiwa ujanja wa ku'internetting' sasa wanatafuta visingizio.

Wao walipokuwa wanapost information za mataifa mengine kwenye website zao za kijeshi kama ku'expose classified info of military strengths za nchi mbali mbali duniani bila ridhaa ya nchi hizo, hiyo sio piracy na sabotage?

Nachukia yule anayezuia kufanyika piracy wakati yeye anaboresha mbinu zake za kufanya Piracy.

Walikuwa hawataniiWikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[h=2]Wikipedia and other Websites are reportedly considering a one-day shutdown in protest of SOPA and PIPA, anti-piracy legislation they argue goes too far.[/h]Wikipedia plans on undergoing a self-imposed blackout Jan. 18, in protest of proposed legislation that it says would harm a free and open Internet.
The legislation in question includes the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) before the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as PROTECTIP (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate. The bills are intended to curb online piracy by allowing copyright holders to block access to domestic and foreign Websites allegedly distributing illegal content. However, critics contend that blacklisting those Websites—and preventing advertisers from doing business with them—is nothing short of censorship.
Google has already pushed back against the legislation, which would potentially force it into a more police-style role with regard to Internet content. In turn, that provoked News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch, whose companies produce a significant percentage of the content pillaged by Web pirates, to fire off a Jan. 14 Tweet: “Piracy leader is Google who streams movies free, sells advts around them. No wonder pouring millions into lobbying.”
Now Wikipedia is seeking to up the ante. “This is an extraordinary action for our community to take,” Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia’s founder, wrote in a Jan. 16 statement circulated by the organization, “and while we regret having to prevent the world from having access to Wikipedia for even a second, we simply cannot ignore the fact that SOPA and PIPA endanger free speech both in the United States and abroad, and set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world.”
Executive-branch officials are also weighing in, sounding a note of caution about the legislation. “We must avoid creating new cyber-security risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet,” U.S. CTO Aneesh Chopra wrote in a co-authored note posted on the White House’s Website. “Proposed laws must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet.”
Nor could Wikipedia be the only Website protesting SOPA and PIPA by going dark. Reddit and Boing Boing are among the Websites reportedly considering whether to shut down for a limited time Jan. 18. And whatever the ultimate outcome of the legislation, the debate over piracy, censorship and expression isn’t likely to fade anytime soon.

MpigaKelele said:

Walikuwa hawataniiWikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Kweli haipatikani.

naona google wao wameeamua kupinga kwa kuweka tangazo tu,
blackout ya 24hrs hawaiwezi sababu ya matangazo

Edward Teller said:

naona google wao wameeamua kupinga kwa kuweka tangazo tu,
blackout ya 24hrs hawaiwezi sababu ya matangazo

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Yea, Google has hit back at Rupert Murdoch after he branded the search giant a "piracy leader". Google is showing solidarity by placing a black box over its logo when US-based users visit its site.