English Wikipedia black out?

Carlos The Badger · **Posted:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:20 pm

On the top of Wikipedia pages at the moment.

Quote:

Please note: In less than 15 hours, the English Wikipedia will be blacked out globally to protest SOPA and PIPA.

http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/English_Wikipedia_anti-SOPA_blackout

Oh dear, however shall we all cope?

I agree that these acts are the result of gross stupidity and ignorance by corporate toady politicos but I don't really see what this will achieve. Yes, I do understand it's symbolic, but still.

Anyway, why just the English version? I've checked, it is just the English. Yes, those acts are the product of the US Congress but what about the rest of the Anglosphere? And the millions of Americans whose first language is not English?

Español para me if I feel I can't survive 24 hours without a semi-reliable reference source. :roll:

smod · **Posted:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:25 pm

Certainly it's a good message and might draw attention since they are big website. Similar to how they stopped using GoDaddy because of their initial support for SOPA.

bluebellnutter · **Posted:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 5:05 pm

Carlos The Badger wrote:

Anyway, why just the English version? I've checked, it is just the English. Yes, those acts are the product of the US Congress but what about the rest of the Anglosphere? And the millions of Americans whose first language is not English?

Duh. These people are not American. Therefore they do not count in the grand scheme of things for many Americans.

Arnold · **Posted:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 5:18 pm

Think of the DM hacks deprived of one of their usual sources of info.

Carlos The Badger · **Posted:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 5:20 pm

Arnold wrote:

Think of the DM hacks deprived of one of their usual sources of info.

Aha! Good thinking Batman. Yeah, that'll be worth a couple of jibes in their direction.

Bones McCoy · **Joined:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:08 am **Posts:** 7319

bluebellnutter wrote:

Carlos The Badger wrote:

Anyway, why just the English version? I've checked, it is just the English. Yes, those acts are the product of the US Congress but what about the rest of the Anglosphere? And the millions of Americans whose first language is not English?

Duh. These people are not American. Therefore they do not count in the grand scheme of things for many Americans.

As American as Martin Van Buren - I'd look up the spelling but..........
But unlikely to become Congressmen or Representatives - so I personally think the blackout's been targeted effectively.

OK so some highschool kid may be unable to plagiarise his last minute homework - but I anticipate few fatalities as a result of the protest.

2k. · **Posted:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:45 pm

Arnold wrote:

Think of the DM hacks deprived of one of their usual sources of info.

+1

bairy · **Joined:** Tue May 08, 2007 1:40 pm **Posts:** 2807

Carlos The Badger wrote:

I agree that these acts are the result of gross stupidity and ignorance by corporate toady politicos but I don't really see what this will achieve. Yes, I do understand it's symbolic, but still.

The blackout will raise awareness to people who don't currently know about SOPA and PIPA. And for those who do know but don't really care it will force them to realise how bad the SOPA really is, because in it's current form it has the power to take down wikipedia permanently on a whim.

spoonman · **Joined:** Tue May 11, 2010 2:27 pm **Posts:** 889

I see the mobile version of the site still appears to be up en.m.wikipedia.org

Messianic Trees · **Joined:** Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:50 pm **Posts:** 2827

Quote:

I'm just worried about all the poor journalists - what will they do on Wednesday without Wikipedia to plagiarise? Maybe the unexpected outcome will be that newspapers might have to actually fact check their stories, using real facts, thus giving us all a glimpse of times past when fact-checking was done with a modicum of rigour. If FARK or Reddit goes down for a day the DM is doomed.
- James, UK, 17/1/2012 21:29

Samanfur · **Posted:** Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:51 pm

It won't just be the DM, though. Remember how many news organisations swallowed that Wiki edit about Ronnie Hazelhurst being responsible for S Club 7's Don't Stop?

Paul · **Posted:** Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:22 pm

What Wikipedia blackout? Online encyclopedia leaves loopholes galore in shutdown protest at anti-piracy law

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... otest.html

Quote:

Well, that is most journalists without information for 24 hours then.

- Anne, West Midlands EU, 17/1/2012 14:25
Click to rate Rating 47

DTR · **Posted:** Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:31 pm

Samanfur wrote:

It won't just be the DM, though. Remember how many news organisations swallowed that Wiki edit about Ronnie Hazelhurst being responsible for S Club 7's Don't Stop?

cf. The Wankey Balls Festival

Winegums · **Joined:** Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:04 pm **Posts:** 706

Paul wrote:

What Wikipedia blackout? Online encyclopedia leaves loopholes galore in shutdown protest at anti-piracy law

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... otest.html

Quote:

Well, that is most journalists without information for 24 hours then.

- Anne, West Midlands EU, 17/1/2012 14:25
Click to rate Rating 47

Hm, so the Mail is faced with a serious issue of censorship which is being acknowledged by various big players on the internet. They could look at who's opposing the bill, and why, or they could just be a shower of cunts and open with some cynical headline about how you can work around the redirect (as though it was meant to be impenetrable, as though Dave the Marketing Guy from Scunthorpe is going to fuck around with that, as though, as though)...

Daley Mayle · **Posted:** Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:10 pm

It's like when civil servants go on strike. Nobody really notices (and apologies to any civil servants on here). I needed some info and found it elsewhere.

English Wikipedia black out?

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