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WIKIPEDIA IS AMONG a number of websites taking part in an internet blackout today in protest at proposed anti-piracy laws in the US.
The online encyclopedia redirects to a black screen with a political statement when you carry out a search but mobile versions of the site continue to work. The user-generated news site Reddit and the blog Boing Boing are also among the more high profile sites taking part in the blackout.
However, other popular websites like Facebook and Twitter are not taking part in the 24-hour blackout which runs until 5am tomorrow morning (GMT).
Websites and activists are opposed to the US Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) both currently being debated in the US Congress. The laws propose to shut down websites accused of containing illegal films, music and TV programming. Read more here >
Supporters of the legislation argue that it is designed to stop revenue flowing to “rogue websites” which link to pirated material but those against it argue the legislation is poorly drafted and will damage the openness of the internet.
“The point is the bill is so over broad and so badly written that it’s going to impact all kinds of things that, you know, don’t have anything to do with stopping piracy,” Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales told the BBC.
Although some of the websites editors are uneasy about the legislation, AP reports, likening the Wikipedia decision to fight censorship with censorship.
“My main concern is that it puts the organisation in the role of advocacy, and that’s a slippery slope,” said editor Robert Lawton, a Michigan computer consultant. “Before we know it, we’re blacked out because we want to save the whales.”
Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo described the decision of some websites to shutdown as “foolish”. ”Closing a global business in reaction to single-issue national politics is foolish,” he tweeted on Monday.
Some are in solidarity with those who are shutting down while not shutting down themselves including the world’s most popular search engine Google which carries a link which reads “Please don’t censor the web!” on its homepage.
“Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the US,” the linked to page reads as the company urges Congress to “End Piracy, Not Liberty”.
The White House has raised concerns about the bills going through the House of Representatives and the Senate. While the administration has pledged to battle piracy and counterfeiting, it is defending free expression, privacy and innovation on the internet.
The administration signalled it might use its veto power, if necessary meaning the two bills are unlikely to become legislation in their present form, AP reports.
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They’re a private company so can choose not to stock it f they wish.
To me however, it’s simply a form of censorship and the precedent it sets is dangerous. What else do they find unpalatable and wish not to stock?
Should we remove mein kampf, or Charles Manson book too and many others as people may not like it? Lots of killers have written books.
How about, don’t buy tit if you don;t want to read it, but don;t decide for everyone else whether they can read it or not. Why is that too much to ask?
Tesco don’t stock the brand of wine I want I should be outraged cos it’s censorship etc.
It’s not about censorship. It’s about stopping a mass mudering psychopath profiting from his crimes.
I agree with you but I’m sure in this case it’s about stopping a convicted criminal from making money. Part of being locked up and punished is to be denied not only your physical freedom but also freedom to participate in society in general. It’s not censorship but part of a criminals punishment.
I tend to agree like. While the book is no doubt horribly distasteful removing it now is nothing more than censorship. It will be restocked elsewhere
Joanna. If you think that’s a logical response to my point you need to go away and learn how to think for yourself.
Nobody owes anyone a platform.
Any interview you’ve seen of murderers or documentaries on them in the US for example, were all paid an appearance fee. They too profited in that sense.
Likewise any guest that has appeared on the Late late show in Ireland in all these years has been paid an appearance fee of between 2k and 5k of licence fee payers money. That’s for every guest regardless.
Plenty of people get paid and profit off crimes in the public eye. Not much you can do about it
This is a dangerous precedent however. If they are so concerned he’ll profit form it, then let them pass laws to change it in Canada as they suggested , rather than censoring it.
People’s “outrage” as Joanna sys, has stopped the publication of the book through the worlds largest book supplier and that is not a healthy precedent on the basis of a pitiful 54k signatures in an online petition.
I think a law against criminals profiting from their crimes in this way is reasonable and doesn’t qualify as censorship.
the issue is should he profit from it? maybe the profits should go to the victims of violence, or some charity that helps such victims or bereved familys etc. would that be a good idea?
mein kampf is on my list of books to read, its probably rubbish. but im curious about it, i believe its a huge seller in the islamic world.
Give the money to the family’s he has destroyed?
@Valentine Lynam yea..they might not want ot touch it..imagine..being it that position and then being offered money that the perp made off the deaths of your family or partner etc…its a difficult one….
No, I don’t think that would be a good idea. There’s something fundamentally wrong with idea of the story of someone’s brutal murder being turned into a profit-making venture
Ok Luke, but criminals should not benifit from their crimes, any profit should go to an organisation that fights/helps drug addicts for example, but the people who should be included in this would be the family of the girls he murdered, I would not imagine it would be nice for the mothers of these girls to know the details of her daughters death is now in the form of a book.but you are correct, it’s a diffucult call.
What in God’s names are you trying to say. Maybe you should lay off the cheap wine
Stupid censorship is right. As you say don’t buy it if you don’t. People actually believe books like these give others ideas! One search of him or any serial killer brings up crime scene pictures etc. Don’t buy or google this sort of thing if you don’t want to but others are interested in real crime. It doesn’t make us weird or want to copy them! I have an interest in serial killers minds and always have. I wanted to buy this now I can’t as morons now have just pushed the price through the roof for the printed ones or made them totally unavailable to people who are interested in real crime.
Plus Charles Manson never killed anyone. People should research things before they comment!
Yet we still have to put up with Ronan Keating and Joe Duffy releasing books
Now i really want to read that!!!
Ok, it’s probably best if no one replies directly to Deirdre
“…it was being sold for $20 (about €13).” – how do you come up with that figure?? At today’s exchange, 20 US dollars is just above 18 euro.
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