(un)censored
Say it ain’t SOPA: Which of your favorite websites are boycotting the SOPA/PIPAlegislation?
Today, in recognition of the potentially huge effect that the proposed SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act, in the House) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act, in the Senate) legislation would have on the Internet, numerous popular websites have opted to express their disapproval via differing levels of content censorship. You may have already encountered a few roadblocks in your daily ‘net-surfing routine, but here is quick list of the major players in this web-based boycott:
Completely dark
These sites are in clear protest of the legislation, and have made all of their content expressly unavailable for 24 hours in order to underscore this point.
Partially redacted
In an effort to emphasize the disruptive nature of content censorship, these sites have added strategically placed redactions on their homepages — or as in Google’s case, across their iconic logo — sending a strong message of disapproval.
Call-to-action landing pages
Offering visitors virtual PSAs for increased awareness of potential SOPA/PIPA implications, these sites eventually lead readers to their content, but not before forcing them to recognize the urgency of the matter.
Toolkit
SOPA Opera is a tool developed by ProPublica to let you see where your members of congress stand on SOPA and PIPA.
Today only, McSweeney’s visitors are greeted by a funny and unexpected list of “A day’s worth of facts to get you through Wikipedia’s 24-hour blackout.” You know, just in case you are faced with an esoteric literature or trivia question.
VoteForTheNet.com was launched by political activism groups Demand Progress and Don't Censor the Net to give people an easy way to support candidates who are in opposition to these pieces of legislation. So far, over 50,000 people have pledged their support since the site's launch on Tuesday night.
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Did we miss your favorite? Let us know in the comments what other SOPA protests you've noticed across the web today.