(Image Source: Wikipedia)

BY MADISON MACK

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN


It’s the great Internet blackout of 2012.

On Wednesday more than 7,000 websites protested the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act. Participating websites included Wikipedia, Google, Reddit, Mozilla and Flickr.

Newsy previously reported the tide was turning against the intended anti-piracy legislation after the White House joined opposition to the bill. So why the huge backlash for a bill that aims to stop digital piracy? The San Francisco Chronicle explains, from the critics’ perspective.

“Everyone agrees piracy is rampant and we all want to find ways of combating it. Neither SOPA nor PIPA will actually solve that problem. … Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media ... puts it simply: ‘[t]he solution to piracy must be a market solution, not a government intervention.’”

Reddit has been one of the loudest voices in the SOPA protests. On G4, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian  says the legislation is too vague, and would have critical effects.

"We would have to be responsible for monitoring all of the content on the site produced by the users because should any of it connect to illegal material, the site Reddit would be deemed illegal and action could be taken against us.”  

The Atlantic says the blackout has successfully raised awareness of SOPA to the public.

“The blacked-out websites successfully created a news event today in all media, old and new. Millions more Americans will have at least a passing knowledge of what Internet companies think the problem with SOPA is.”

Problem is, according to SOPA supporters, some of that knowledge is misinformation. That’s what NBC Universal CEO Rick Cotton charges on PBS’ Newshour.

“There’s alot of misinformation and misunderstanding about what t’hese bills provide. But there really is no lack of clarity in the way the bills are written. Foreign websites overwhelmingly dedicated to illegal activities and third a requirement of a court order.”  

On the other side, even some who are anti-SOPA are also anti-blackout, including Gizmodo’s Mat Honan. Hollywood has largely supported SOPA because it’s losing money over pirated movies and TV shows. Honan says the tech industry needs to step up efforts.

“Going dark is cute, but, the only way SOPA dies is if the tech industry starts lobbying just as hard as the entertainment industry...”

And Gawker Media’s Joel Johnson.

“Is it possible to appreciate protest blackouts and also think that they're mostly preaching to the choir?"

Since the blackouts started, several of the bills’ co-sponsors have dropped their support. T he Guardian reports.

“ … senator John Cornyn, a Texan Republican … expressed his views via Facebook. ‘SOPA: better to get this done right rather than fast and wrong’. … Two other Republican representatives, Ben Quayle from Arizona, and Lee Terry from Nebraska, also pulled their names … ”

A vote on PIPA is expected in the Senate on January 24 and a vote on SOPA has been delayed until at least next month. For a more technical, in-depth break down of the SOPA and PIPA bills, check out the link in our transcript section.