Protesting internet censorship

[bixaorellana]

From our host forum's Facebook Page:

Tomorrow, January 18th, ProBoards will be joining Internet giants such as Google, Wikipedia, Reddit, and thousands of other Internet websites in protesting against the Internet censorship bills SOPA and PIPA. All forums that are not ad-free will display a small message at the top of each page for 24 hours.

We encourage you to contact your elected representatives to ensure that the Internet remains an open platform where the web, and forums, can thrive. Censorship is not the way to go.

In advance, we apologize for any inconvenience this small message at the top of your forums will have for this 24 hour period -- but the alternative, a censored Internet, is a far worse scenario.

Please visit www.americancensorship.org for more information.

SOPA bill: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act

BBC explains: www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16596577

71 page document, the full SOPA Bill -- online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204555904577167040770940440.html

[bixaorellana]

I just tried to click on a Wikipedia link & it's apparently started its 24-hour blackout. It's an awful feeling for something we rely on so much to be unavailable.

You get a quick glimpse of the Wikipedia article, then it goes to a dark page explaining the blackout.

So far there's no message at the top of anyport's pages. That may be programmed to start at midnight California time.

[onlymark]

I went to a Wiki article and saw the page load for a second then go to the explaining page. I then re-loaded the page again and as soon as the article appeared I clicked on the cross symbol to stop the page reloading further. The article stayed there and I could read it at leisure.

[Deleted]

Actually, it is only English language Wikipedia that is dark today. Other languages are working as normal.

[bixaorellana]

Ah -- that works, Mark! On Chrome it's an X, next to the words "stop loading this page".

[auntieannie]

I am surprised that Youtube doesn't seem to participate in this action as I believe Youtube has a lot to lose (and some of our threads would be much less lively without it!)

[bixaorellana]

Isn't that the truth, Annie?! Reading your post made me go look to see if youtube had participated in any way. Apparently not, but I found this good article: news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/18/google-blacks-out-its-home-page-to-support-of-wikipedia-sopa-protest/

[Deleted]

So, did yesterday's protest shake the world? There was practically no mention of it in the international press.

[fumobici]

Shook my Conresspeople's email servers, that's for sure. It took multiple tries to get through to one and the other was unreachable. I've heard others had similar experiences, I don't think any issue has crashed so many politicians' inboxes before. Nobody wants their internet fucked with except a few very rich media mogols.

[bixaorellana]

Heh heh heh -- that's a telling detail, Fumobici!

The story & more details behind this graphic: projects.propublica.org/sopa/

[rikita]

Jan 19, 2012 21:01:46 GMT kerouac2 said:

So, did yesterday's protest shake the world? There was practically no mention of it in the international press.

there was in the newspaper i read... a mention, i mean...