If you are using Wikipedia in an English speaking country, then you may have noticed today that you cannot access any of the information. Instead of the normal pages of life-saving information, you will be met by a black screen, similar to the one above. This is because, for the first time ever, Wikipedia is protesting against two new laws that have been proposed in the United States.
SOPA (which stands for the ‘Stop Online Piracy Act'), and PIPA (‘Protect Intellectual Property Act') are two bills that aim to stop copyright infringement by websites outside of the US. However, many people, the Wikipedia community included, believe that these laws will harm free expression and freedom on the internet. In Wikipedia's own words:
"We are concerned that SOPA and PIPA will severely inhibit people's access to online information...These bills are simply unacceptable in a world that values an open, secure, and free Internet."
It is not the idea of stamping down on online copyright infringement that Wikipedia disagrees with, but the "badly drafted legislation" which will not only be ineffective against it's main aim, but will actually harm the internet as we know it.
