In just a few hours, Wikipedia will be shutting down for a day. It will be closing up shop in protest to the current legislature in front of Congress pertaining to anti-piracy.
According to Wikipedia officials, if the bills are passed, then it would become very difficult for companies like Wikipedia to continue operating. Wikipedia decided at the beginning of December that a protest might be needed. In the last few days, discussion among 1,800 of the top Wikipedia editors resulted in the decision to protest. Wikipedia will be joined by The Chive and other websites for the January 18th blackout protest.
Conversely, many media corporations are in favor of the bill and are pushing for it to pass.
The bills are the SOPA, Stop Online Piracy Act, which is currently before the House of Representatives, and the PIPA, the Protect IP Act, which is before the United States Senate.
It is felt by numerous companies, like Wikipedia, that the two bills would restrain millions of Americans from having access to a plethora of valuable resources. The goal is for the internet to continue to be a free space with free information for all users.
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