Wiki blackout.

ilcp · 18 Jan 2012 at 10:45

you can still access wikipedia if you turn off your javascript

Craig1981 · 18 Jan 2012 at 10:46

I support what Wikipedia is doing. This SOPA bill needs to be crushed and anything that shows the US government that people are against it is a positive step.

LordSplodge · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:10

EVH said:
If they turned it off for 2 weeks or a month, I'd actually give a ****.

You'll give a **** if SOPA/PIPA passes and a lot of the internet goes dark permanently without due process thanks to lobbying from the movie and music industry.

RDM · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:12

LordSplodge said:
You'll give a **** if SOPA/PIPA passes and a lot of the internet goes dark permanently without due process thanks to lobbying from the movie and music industry.

What parts of the internet would go dark permanently without due process if these acts were to pass?

Energize · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:12

Wikipedia is not actually down, it just redirects to that page, if you press the stop button you can still use wikipedia fine.

LordSplodge · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:13

Dirk said:
If you need Wikipedia today:

Create a bookmark, called something akin to "Show Wikipedia" and paste this as the address...

Code:

javascript:$("*").show(); $("#mw-sopaOverlay").hide();

Then, when you visit a wikipedia page simply click the bookmark.

Discovered by a Dev on XDA.

Delvis said:
It works fine, just put an m in between the en and wiki.

Like so: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken

[TW]Fox;21060104 said:
Just hit escape before it loads the overlay.

Bypassing the blackout kind of defeats the point.

However you think they would have done a better job like some other sites. I like the 2600.com one.

GAC · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:13

dont worry the mpaa are being sensible and calling what wiki is doing as "an abuse of power" nice to see a group that makes millions by harrasing people know what abuse means.

http://gizmodo.com/5876984/the-mpaa-says-blackout-protests-are-an-abuse-of-power

Robbo · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:13

Energize said:
Wikipedia is not actually down, it just redirects to that page, if you press the stop button you can still use wikipedia fine.

Which is what makes this all a bit silly. They haven't actually taken it down, just put an easily circumventable overlay over the entire site.

They may as well not have bothered.

Delvis · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:18

LordSplodge said:
Bypassing the blackout kind of defeats the point.

However you think they would have done a better job like some other sites. I like the 2600.com one.

Well I know that

But it's their own flaw, just disable external access

ZombieFan · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:19

RDM said:
What parts of the internet would go dark permanently without due process if these acts were to pass?

Any site which allows user content, on which a user has wittingly or unwittingly posted a link to copyright material. The now blacked-out www.rockpapershotgun.com site explains it a bit better.

RockPaperShotgun.com said:
Any site that has comments, a forum, video streaming, user content in any form, is in real danger of being destroyed by SOPA and PIPA. YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, Twitter... The internet, as this wonderful, extraordinary, free and beautiful thing, would be broken forever.

So Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, OCUK Forum etc could be forced to shut down by US law if this bill is passed.

petemyster · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:20

Robbo said:
It seems a bit pointless if I'm honest.

I know right? What's one of the biggest websites in the world going to do to raise awareness to your average person if it blacks out?

Delvis · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:21

petemyster said:
I know right? What's one of the biggest websites in the world going to do to raise awareness to your average person if it blacks out?

Hardly, if google did it properly, it would get noticed.

RDM · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:25

ZombieFan said:
Any site which allows user content, on which a user has wittingly or unwittingly posted a link to copyright material. The now blacked-out www.rockpapershotgun.com site explains it a bit better.

So Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, OCUK Forum etc could be forced to shut down by US law if this bill is passed.

No, that is what sites could go dark using the tightest (and therefore easiest challanged) reading of the act possible. What sites are actually likely to go dark?

ZombieFan · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:37

RDM said:
No, that is what sites could go dark using the tightest (and therefore easiest challanged) reading of the act possible. What sites are actually likely to go dark?

Any site which MPAA decide they don't like the look off. This includes YouTube - http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/may/04/viacom-youtube

If the law was in place when the above court case took place, YouTube would have been taken offline.

RDM · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:53

ZombieFan said:
Any site which MPAA decide they don't like the look off. This includes YouTube - http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/may/04/viacom-youtube

If the law was in place when the above court case took place, YouTube would have been taken offline.

But it wouldn't have. YouTube's own lawyers would have stopped it from happening. Before we can have a sensible conversation about copyright and the interent then both sides really need to stop the hypberbole. I quite agree that the legislation in question is pretty poor, but it isn't the internet apocalypse that some are making it out to be.

Morbius · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:55

Even if it can be circumvented, it's being discussed everywhere so the blackout has had the desired effect.

LordSplodge · 18 Jan 2012 at 11:58

ZombieFan said:
So Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, OCUK Forum etc could be forced to shut down by US law if this bill is passed.

Not really forced to shut down but worse removed from DNS. Somebody posts a copyrighted image or text (or alleged copyrighted file as there is no due process) and buy buy OCUK including the shop where they make their monies.

Sledgehammer to crack a walnut.

Thorper · 18 Jan 2012 at 12:20

As its US law you'd think it would only block access to Americans/sites hosted in America.

Morbius · 18 Jan 2012 at 12:21

Thorper said:
As its US law you'd think it would only block access to Americans/sites hosted in America.

The wording of the law suggests it will apply worldwide, thus meaning that anyone in a country with an extradition treaty with the US could be sent there to face trial.

MonkeyNews · 18 Jan 2012 at 12:23

exhashdotdot said:
I think I hate it primarily because of all the unfunny meme **** it spews.

I'm sick of this whole meme ****.

And said memes then get regurgitated around various threads within GD. You'll have a hard time getting away from internet memes from any generalist forum.