Web sites paint it black to protest SOPA
<b style="color:#900;">week in review</b> Prominent Web sites go dark to protest proposed antipiracy legislation, while hackers take down government and entertainment sites to protest piracy arrests. Also: Yang out at Yahoo.
week in review Some of the Internet's most popular destinations launched an experiment in political activism this week by urging their users to protest a pair of Hollywood-backed copyright bills in Congress.
Wikipedia's English-language pages went black at 9 p.m. PT Wednesday, with a splash page saying "the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet." The online encyclopedia's blackout, intended to precede a Senate floor vote on the legislation set for next week, was scheduled to last 24 hours.
Earlier today, Senate leaders announced they would postpone a vote on the Protect IP Act scheduled for Tuesday. Hours later, the House Judiciary Committee said it would put consideration of the Stop Online Piracy Act on hold as well.
Unlike Wikipedia, Craigslist and Google took a more modest approach. The sites remained online during the virtual protest, but the home pages featured exhortations to contact members of Congress and urge them to vote against SOPA and PIPA.
• MPAA blasts 'dangerous' anti-SOPA blackouts as 'stunts'
• Going dark means crazy day for anti-SOPA site owners
• SOPA protest sees large offline turnout in New York
The protest appeared to be working as some of the previous supporters of the bills in Congress are backing down. "I'm withdrawing my co-sponsorship for the Protect IP Act," said Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican.
Sen. John Boozman, an Arkansas Republican, "will be withdrawing his name as a co-sponsor" of Protect IP, a spokesman told CNET on Wednesday. Fellow Protect IP co-sponsor Sen. James Risch, an Idaho Republican, said that he wants "more time to re-examine the legislation before going to a vote" and has asked staff for a detailed briefing.
• Mark Zuckerberg finally comes out against SOPA
• WSJ comes out for SOPA, more lawmakers pull support
• How SOPA would affect you: FAQ
• Complete SOPA coverage
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