Original post on here
Following a massive attack waged Thursday on several government and entertainment industry websites, hacktivists with Anonymous continued their assault over the weekend, momentarily taking CBS.com offline.
The next target very well might be Facebook.
The shut-down of the file sharing site Megaupload last week prompted thousands of users to participate in an Anonymous-led attack on opponents of the service, which left the websites for the FBI, Department of Justice, Motion Picture Association of America and Universal Music Group, among others, momentarily crippled.
The move, believed to be the largest Anonymous-led online initiative in the group’s history, was continued during the weekend when operatives participating managed to divert all traffic away from CBS.com. For around 20 minutes, the television network’s main site was unavailable on the Web to surfers across the world. Additionally, a second assault on Universal Music Group, or UMG, was waged and once again rendered the site unavailable. Universal is the largest record label in America and already revealed itself as an opponent to Megaupload before last week’s raid.
Sunday’s take-down of CBS.com and UMG was also accompanied by similar initiatives on foreign websites linked to anti-copyright legislation, including Polish and French government sites. According to some alleged Anonymous members, however, the bombardment doesn’t stop just there. In a new video uploaded to YouTube on Monday, a person claiming to work under the guise of Anonymous announces plans to take on the social networking giant Facebook in the coming days.
“An online war has begun between Anonymous, the people, and the government of the United States,” recites a digitized voice in the video clip. “While SOPA and PIPA may be postponed from Congress, this does not guarantee that our Internet rights will be upheld.” To insure that online freedoms aren’t further crushed, says the Anonymous operative, an assault should be launched on Facebook to make it clear to the US government just how strong the opponents of Internet laws such as SOPA and PIPA are.
“We've already crashed CBS, Warner Brothers and FBI sites; Facebook is our next aim. This will be enough to show them indeed that we are not playing,” continues the video.
The US Copyright office, the Recording Industry Association of America, BMG and other sites were targeted in last week’s attacks, which used a Distributed Denial-of-Service, or DDoS assault, to render the sites unavailable. Participants allege that they also waged an attempt at taking down the websites for both the Department of Defense and the White House, but were unsuccessful at taking them offline.
According to the latest clip, another DDoS attack will be launched on January 28 against Facebook in the same manner that the previous week’s assaults were conducted against the entertainment industry and government sites. The narrator of the clip and an accompanying text description provide detailed information on how to go about conducting the attack, which is done using a simple piece of software called the Low Orbit Ion Cannon, or LOIC.
Nearly 6,000 users broke the servers of the FBI and others last week using the LOIC program in an attempt that was mostly under the radar until news outlets eventually broke the story. With an attack against Facebook being plotted days in advance, a DDoS attack, while difficult to conduct to a degree worthy of taking down Mark Zuckerberg’s tremendous amount of servers, could very well happen.
“While it is true that Facebook has at least 60,000 servers, it is still possible to bring it down,” announces the voice in the video.
Others aligned to the group have shunned the would-be ambush, however, and insist that it does not represent the mission of the group as a whole. With no formal leader or membership though, it is easy for conflicting ideas and agendas to easily go viral on the Web without any authorization from those involved in past missions.
“Lulz at people saying we would take down Twitter, FaceBook and YouTube,” reads a tweet in response from the YourAnonNews account. “Why would Anon take down how we send our messages?”
Regardless of the legitimacy of the claim made in the latest YouTube clip, it is not the first attack on Facebook perpetrated by an alleged member of Anonymous. A previous attack was scheduled for November 5, 2011, but never materialized. In that case, a similar YouTube video was released ahead of time and informed viewers that “Facebook has been selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information security firms so that they can spy on people from all around the world.”
The November 5 attack was expected to accompany similar assaults, including a takedown of FoxNews.com, that while reported, fell through.
“When you're planning to hack someone, don't tell them in advance. More importantly, don't tell them exactly when you're planning to rock their universe,” Matt Peckham, a tech writer for TIME, said before the last planned take-down.
In the new video, however, the alleged Anonymous operative uses the YouTube platform not just as a means of preparing for the assault, but as a recruitment tool
“Would you like to become part of the greatest Internet protest and first official cyber war?” asks the video’s narrator.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Yet Another Reminder That Democracy Is An Illusion
Date: January 23, 2012
Reporting From: Santiago, Chile
With over 150 million registered users, the file sharing site MegaUpload.com is one of the most popular on the Internet. At least, it was.
Sorry for the blurly image... However, You can go to megaupload.com to see it yourself
The site has now been seized by the US government and its homepage converted to an FBI anti-piracy warning Along with my files in there too). Its founder, a high tech entrepreneur named Kim Dotcom (yes, he had it legally changed), was arrested in New Zealand after his homes were raided and assets seized.
These actions were all at the behest of the US government. And it's just the latest example of Big Brother overextending its authority across the entire world.
Last week, we discussed the grassroots efforts to stop passage of the SOPA/PIPA legislation that would give the US government jurisdiction over the Internet. Wikipedia blacked out its English language pages to raise awareness of the issue, and people went completely nuts.
Congress subsequently withdrew the bills amid popular outcry, and the public rejoiced that their efforts successfully thwarted further encroachment on their liberty. Or so they thought.
On the exact same day that everyone was celebrating victory over SOPA/PIPA, the US government simply used another set of regulations to nab Dotcom and seize his assets. The fact that SOPA was scrapped turned out to be completely irrelevant, they just found other rules to apply (or break).
As usual, it's probably not legal. But such technicalities don't matter in the 'guilty until proven innocent' system in which we live. Executive agencies exercise extreme latitude when confiscating assets, and victims often don't have the opportunity to address the matter in front of a judge for years, if ever.
In Dotcom's case, the man probably won't even successfully make it past the extradition process for at least a year... let alone bring the issue to trial. The government is using its bureaucracy to completely circumvent due process and make an example of somebody that they consider a nuisance.
So why should they care? What interest could the US government possibly have in a silly file sharing site? None. But the entertainment industry does.
You see, we don't live in a representative democracy. Democracy is an illusion to make people believe that they're free. Instead, it's blocs of large corporations who are really in control. If the entertainment business wants Kim Dotcom to go away, the government will invent or break any law necessary to make it happen. They're all in bed together.
What's more, it doesn't matter which group or party is in power. Democrat or Republican, Labour or Conservative, Liberal or New Democratic... they're all for sale. Citizens concern themselves with the outcome of elections, investing heavy emotional and financial support for 'their guy'. Companies just wait it out and buy off whichever candidates win.
Kim Dotcom, though a wealthy and successful entrepreneur, was essentially a lone wolf standing against the entire industry. Rather than find ways to work with him in what is clearly emerging as a dominant media platform, they chose to eliminate him... by having the US government send the New Zealand government to arrest him and seize his assets.
It's mind numbing when you really think about it.
Ultimately, Dotcom may successfully find his way back to a normal life after years in court and perhaps some time in jail. In the meantime, though, his case certainly makes a strong argument for flying under the radar. It's a stark reminder that, if they really want to get you, they'll apply, invent, or break whatever laws are necessary to do so.
Until tomorrow,
Reporting From: Santiago, Chile
With over 150 million registered users, the file sharing site MegaUpload.com is one of the most popular on the Internet. At least, it was.
Sorry for the blurly image... However, You can go to megaupload.com to see it yourself
The site has now been seized by the US government and its homepage converted to an FBI anti-piracy warning Along with my files in there too). Its founder, a high tech entrepreneur named Kim Dotcom (yes, he had it legally changed), was arrested in New Zealand after his homes were raided and assets seized.
These actions were all at the behest of the US government. And it's just the latest example of Big Brother overextending its authority across the entire world.
Last week, we discussed the grassroots efforts to stop passage of the SOPA/PIPA legislation that would give the US government jurisdiction over the Internet. Wikipedia blacked out its English language pages to raise awareness of the issue, and people went completely nuts.
Congress subsequently withdrew the bills amid popular outcry, and the public rejoiced that their efforts successfully thwarted further encroachment on their liberty. Or so they thought.
On the exact same day that everyone was celebrating victory over SOPA/PIPA, the US government simply used another set of regulations to nab Dotcom and seize his assets. The fact that SOPA was scrapped turned out to be completely irrelevant, they just found other rules to apply (or break).
As usual, it's probably not legal. But such technicalities don't matter in the 'guilty until proven innocent' system in which we live. Executive agencies exercise extreme latitude when confiscating assets, and victims often don't have the opportunity to address the matter in front of a judge for years, if ever.
In Dotcom's case, the man probably won't even successfully make it past the extradition process for at least a year... let alone bring the issue to trial. The government is using its bureaucracy to completely circumvent due process and make an example of somebody that they consider a nuisance.
So why should they care? What interest could the US government possibly have in a silly file sharing site? None. But the entertainment industry does.
You see, we don't live in a representative democracy. Democracy is an illusion to make people believe that they're free. Instead, it's blocs of large corporations who are really in control. If the entertainment business wants Kim Dotcom to go away, the government will invent or break any law necessary to make it happen. They're all in bed together.
What's more, it doesn't matter which group or party is in power. Democrat or Republican, Labour or Conservative, Liberal or New Democratic... they're all for sale. Citizens concern themselves with the outcome of elections, investing heavy emotional and financial support for 'their guy'. Companies just wait it out and buy off whichever candidates win.
Kim Dotcom, though a wealthy and successful entrepreneur, was essentially a lone wolf standing against the entire industry. Rather than find ways to work with him in what is clearly emerging as a dominant media platform, they chose to eliminate him... by having the US government send the New Zealand government to arrest him and seize his assets.
It's mind numbing when you really think about it.
Ultimately, Dotcom may successfully find his way back to a normal life after years in court and perhaps some time in jail. In the meantime, though, his case certainly makes a strong argument for flying under the radar. It's a stark reminder that, if they really want to get you, they'll apply, invent, or break whatever laws are necessary to do so.
Until tomorrow,
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Stay Alert of AnimeFiesta Kuala Lumpur (AFKL) Scam Event!
AnimaFiesta Kuala Lumpur (AFKL), claiming to be the largest anime expo in Malaysia, and the first to bring in Miku Hatsune concert, in *planning* to be held in KLCC. (Need over 9000! ticket preorders to confirm lol?)
First of all, I’ve never heard of this event, so I was doubtful, so I just observe first without saying anything. Good thing fellow Cosplayers or Hobbyist from West Malaysia checked with KLCC on whether there were this event on the announced date, which is NONE. Even Miku Hatsune’s company Sega, confirmed that their last concert will be in March which is before AFKL ^^”
In terms of logic and common sense, it is a fake/scam/TROLL event already @.@ However I see there’s still ppl defending the event organizer and buying Miku Hatsune concert tickets from them wth? Just hope ppl will stop being naive and see reality~~ Don’t buy tickets from them~ Its RM50 the cheapest for a ticket, a few hundred ppl buying would be a large sum ^^”
There’s also this generous person who went all the way to investigate the event’s site, which is epic win! XD Awesome research and investigation, useful to be a programmer? :3 Look at how he investigate the Scams of AnimeFiesta Kuala Lumpur :D
After reading that, I bet a normal human being would not believe in AFKL anymore, its a scam! and the whole site is entirely copy pasta! Its plagiarism! @.@
Update : Visit here too for valid reasons why AFKL are considered to be a scam event. Also heard there was a similar scam event within the K-pop community, visit here for more info on that, it seems like the scammers are the same group as AFKL? Their methods or operations are almost the same~ hmmmmmm…
Also, please beware of the event’s individual Facebook account, I see some people still asking about ticket purchase there ^^”
OMG? Ticket tooo expensive to belief its real @.@ Even in AFA11 Miku Hatsune Cncert VIP ticket wasn’t THAT expensive =.= This is clearly to scam people of their fortune knowing that people can’t resist! Please spread the word~~~~ *Concert became Live Party lolwat?*
Anyway, please do not be tricked, this is mass scamming~~~ (◎｀ε´◎ )
*Away From Keyboard lol?*
First of all, I’ve never heard of this event, so I was doubtful, so I just observe first without saying anything. Good thing fellow Cosplayers or Hobbyist from West Malaysia checked with KLCC on whether there were this event on the announced date, which is NONE. Even Miku Hatsune’s company Sega, confirmed that their last concert will be in March which is before AFKL ^^”
In terms of logic and common sense, it is a fake/scam/TROLL event already @.@ However I see there’s still ppl defending the event organizer and buying Miku Hatsune concert tickets from them wth? Just hope ppl will stop being naive and see reality~~ Don’t buy tickets from them~ Its RM50 the cheapest for a ticket, a few hundred ppl buying would be a large sum ^^”
There’s also this generous person who went all the way to investigate the event’s site, which is epic win! XD Awesome research and investigation, useful to be a programmer? :3 Look at how he investigate the Scams of AnimeFiesta Kuala Lumpur :D
After reading that, I bet a normal human being would not believe in AFKL anymore, its a scam! and the whole site is entirely copy pasta! Its plagiarism! @.@
Update : Visit here too for valid reasons why AFKL are considered to be a scam event. Also heard there was a similar scam event within the K-pop community, visit here for more info on that, it seems like the scammers are the same group as AFKL? Their methods or operations are almost the same~ hmmmmmm…
Also, please beware of the event’s individual Facebook account, I see some people still asking about ticket purchase there ^^”
OMG? Ticket tooo expensive to belief its real @.@ Even in AFA11 Miku Hatsune Cncert VIP ticket wasn’t THAT expensive =.= This is clearly to scam people of their fortune knowing that people can’t resist! Please spread the word~~~~ *Concert became Live Party lolwat?*
Anyway, please do not be tricked, this is mass scamming~~~ (◎｀ε´◎ )
*Away From Keyboard lol?*
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Megaupload Goes Bye Bye.
Anonymous was quick to target the Justice Department, Universal Music, the RIAA, and MPAA in the wake of this afternoon's Megaupload announcement, with the Web sites for all four organizations succumbing to distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
Justice.gov and universalmusic.com went offline around 430pm Eastern and have been largely unresponsive for the past 1.5 hours. RIAA.com and MPAA.org are also unresponsive.
"Recording Industry Association of America—Department of Justice—Universal Music—all TT, all TANGO DOWN," Anonymous tweeted this evening with the #OpMegaUpload hashtag.
"The Department of Justice web server hosting justice.gov is currently experiencing a significant increase in activity, resulting in a degradation in service," the DOJ said in a statement. "The Department is working to ensure the website is available while we investigate the origins of this activity, which is being treated as a malicious act until we can fully identify the root cause of the disruption."
Earlier today, the DOJ announced the shutdown of file-sharing site Megaupload. Seven individuals and two corporations were indicted for copyright infringement and could face up to 50 years in prison. Megaupload earned approximately $750 million for its exploits and incurred about $1 billion in damages, the agency alleged.
In its statement, the DOJ said the takedown was "among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States."
How does Universal Music play into this? Megaupload's CEO is Kasseem Dean, better known as hip hop producer Swizz Beatz and husband of Alicia Keys. As reported by the New York Post, Beatz asked high-profile friends like Sean "Diddy" Combs, Kanye West, and Will.i.am to participate in a video promoting Megaupload, which did not sit too well with the artists' label, Universal Music Group. Last month, Universal had YouTube pull "Mega Song," prompting a lawsuit from Megaupload, according to TorrentFreak.
Anonymous has never been a fan of efforts to take down copyright infringers. The group has targeted Sony over its efforts to sue PlayStation hacker George Hotz and gone after the RIAA and the MPAA on numerous occasions.
In a statement issued this afternoon, the MPAA championed the Megaupload takedown. "This criminal case, more than two years in development, shows that law enforcement can take strong action to protect American intellectual property stolen through sites housed in the United States," said Chris Dodd, MPAA chairman and CEO.
The RIAA, meanwhile, said it was "deeply grateful" for the Megaupload shutdown. "The indictment outlines a sinister scheme to generate massive profits through the distribution of the stolen intellectual property of others," RIAA chairman and CEO Cary Sherman said in a statement.
The Megaupload taken down and the DDoS attacks come one day after many Web sites went dark in protest of anti-piracy legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). The bills would allow the DOJ to go after overseas, "rogue" Web sites, but opponents argue that the measures are too broad and could harm legitimate Web sites.
The RIAA's Sherman, a supporter of SOPA and PIPA, said the Megaupload news demonstrates why the bills are necessary. "If [Megaupload] were hosted and operated, for example, in a foreign country, our government would be essentially powerless to do anything about it. That needs to change," Sherman said.
For more, see the Top 5 Objections to SOPA, PIPA and PCMag analysts' take on the bills, as well as the slideshow below, which features screen shots from Web sites that participated in yesterday's blackout.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Wikipedia Blackout January 18: 5 Things to Know About the SOPA, PIPA Protest
Wikipedia will initiate a blackout on Wednesday, Jan. 18, in protest of the anti-piracy bills SOPA and PIPA. SOPA and PIPA are two Congressional bills meant to halt the illegal copying and sharing of movies and music on the Internet, among other aims. However, major Internet organizations -- such as Wikipedia, Reddit and Boing Boing -- claim the bills will hinder their operations and are ready to protest.
Wikipedia, Reddit, Boing Boing and Anonymous will go dark Wednesday in condemnation of SOPA and PIPA. "This is going to be wow," Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, said on Twitter. "I hope Wikipedia will melt phone systems in Washington on Wednesday. Tell everyone you know!"
"If you want an Internet where human rights, free speech and the rule of law are not subordinated to the entertainment industry's profits, I hope you'll join us," said Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing.
Even gargantuan Internet companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter and Tumblr have denounced the bills.
PIPA, the Protect IP Act, and SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, however, have received support from the music and film industries.
"More than 2.2 million hard-working, middle-class people in all 50 states depend on the entertainment industry for their jobs and many millions more work in other industries that rely on intellectual property," Michael O'Leary of the Motion Picture Association of America said in a statement. "For all these workers and their families, online content and counterfeiting by these foreign sites mean declining incomes, lost jobs and reduced health and retirement benefits."
Over the weekend, the White House hinted at toning down the two bills after the influx of protest.
"While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet," wrote three White House managers, including Aneesh Chopra, the U.S. Chief Technology Officer.
So what do you need to know about the Wikipedia Blackout?
Wikipedia Will Go Dark for 24 Hours
Wikipedia will go dark for 24 hours. The Web site will shut down its English-language site beginning at 05:00 UTC on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Read the official statement from Wikipedia here.
Wikipedia is a hugely popular site, particularly amongst students. On Tuesday, founder Jimmy Wales highlighted this importance.
"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed, MLK on Wednesday, Wikipedia demands," Wales said via Twitter Monday, on Martin Luther King Day. He told students: "Student warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday! #sopa."
The official statement notes the impact the bill could have on the Internet as a free entity.
"Today Wikipedians from around the world have spoken about their opposition to this destructive legislation," said Wales in the official statement. "This is an extraordinary action for our community to take - and while we regret having to prevent the world from having access to Wikipedia for even a second, we simply cannot ignore the fact that SOPA and PIPA endanger free speech both in the United States and abroad, and set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world."
Reddit Will Go Dark for 12 Hours
Reddit, the a "crowd-curated" information sharing forum, will go dark for 12 hours on Wednesday, Jan. 18, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST (1300-0100 UTC).
"We've seen some amazing activism organized by redditors at /r/sopa and across the reddit community at large. You have made a difference in this fight; and as we near the next stage, and after much thought, talking with experts, and hearing the overwhelming voices from the reddit community, we have decided that we will be blacking out reddit," reads the official statement.
Instead of publishing its typical content, Reddit will circulate anti-PIPA/SOPA information on how the legislation will hinder sites like Reddit, provide links to resources to learn more and suggest how citizens can take action.
Other, possibly lesser-known sites have also joined the anti-PIPA/SOPA coalition and will also go dark Wednesday. Users on Reddit compiled a list of sites that will enact a blackout, including: all Cheezeburger sites, Explosm, Red 5 Studios, CryptoCat, FreakOutNation, Major League Gaming, RageMaker, SkyTemple and more. Click here to view the thread.
Blackout Has Support from Internet Titans
Not only are Wikipedia, Reddit, Boing Boing and Anonymous against PIPA/SOPA. Internet titans have also voiced opposition.
"There isn't one technology company or venture capitalist who supports these bills," Markham Erickson, the executive director of NetCoalition, a trade group representing Google, eBay and others, told ABC News.
"An 'Internet blackout' would obviously be both drastic and unprecedented," NetCoalition said in a statement. "We hope that the Senate will cancel its scheduled vote on PIPA so that we can get back to working with members on how to address the concerns raised by the MPAA [Motion Picture Association of America] and others without threatening our nation's security or future innovation and jobs."
Tumblr Encourages Calling House Representatives, Offers Talking Points
Tumblr, a microblogging platform and social media networking site, has been encouraging activism since November. That month, the Web site facilitated 87,834 individuals to call their representatives with a total of 1,293 hours of talking time in protest of the PIPA/SOPA bills.
Tumblr still offers a form that will connect you to your House Representative and offer talking points on how to dispute the legislation. Click here to access this.
SOPA Could Be Shelved
On Monday, California congressman Darrell Issa, an opponent of SOPA, stated that he had been told by House majority leader Eric Cantor that no vote on SOPA will transpire "unless there is consensus on the bill," shelving the legislation until further notice. This move "effectively scuppers" SOPA, noted the Guardian.
PIPA, derogatorily known as the e-Parasite bill, comes to vote on Jan. 24. Issa stated, "While I remain concerned about Senate action on the Protect IP Act, I am confident that flawed legislation will not be taken up by this House.
Wikipedia goes dark for 24 hours to protest web piracy bills.
SAN FRANCISCO – Can the world live without Wikipedia for a day?
The user-driven online encyclopedia is one of the Internet's most visited sites, and at midnight Eastern Standard Time it began a 24-hour "blackout" in protest against proposed anti-piracy legislation that many leading websites -- including Reddit, Google, Facebook, Amazon and others -- contend will make it challenging if not impossible for them to operate.
It's a dramatic response to the Protect Intellectual Property Act under consideration in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, a pair of bills backed by the motion picture and recording industries that are intended to eliminate theft online once and for all.
Simply put, S. 968 and H.R. 3261 would require ISPs to block access to foreign websites that infringe on copyrights. Online piracy from China and elsewhere is a massive problem for the media industry, one that costs as much as $250 billion per year and costs the industry 750,000 jobs, according to a 2008 statement by Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. But how exactly the bills would counter piracy has many up in arms.
"There are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue websites without asking American companies to censor the Internet," Google spokeswoman Samantha Smith told FoxNews.com on Tuesday. The site joined Wikipedia by presenting readers with a black bar over its logo, and other websites have prominent SOPA protest content posted. But the online encyclopedia's blackout is a line-in-the-sand action -- and it isn't sitting well with some of its volunteer editors.
"My main concern is that it puts the organization in the role of advocacy, and that's a slippery slope," said editor Robert Lawton, a Michigan computer consultant who would prefer that the encyclopedia stick to being a neutral repository of knowledge. "Before we know it, we're blacked out because we want to save the whales."
Instead of encyclopedia articles, visitors to the site saw a stark black-and-white page with the message: "Imagine a world without free knowledge." It carried a link to information about the two congressional bills and details about how to reach lawmakers.
The shutdown adds to a very vocal body of critics who are speaking out against the legislation. But the bill's many supporters -- including the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and News Corp., the parent company of FoxNews.com -- argue that those critics simply misunderstand the bill.
“Anti-piracy legislation now before Congress finally addresses the threat of foreign piracy, and it’s unfortunate that so many opponents have resorted to inaccurate and flatly dishonest claims in an attempt to derail it," said Timothy Lee, vice president of legal and public affairs for the Center for Individual Freedom.
Chris Dodd, chairman of the MPAA, denounced the blackout as a stunt, News.com reported. "[It's] an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on [the sites] for information and [who] use their services."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/18/wikipedia-goes-dark-for-24-hours-to-protest-us-web-piracy-bills/#ixzz1jpvyF8m7
The user-driven online encyclopedia is one of the Internet's most visited sites, and at midnight Eastern Standard Time it began a 24-hour "blackout" in protest against proposed anti-piracy legislation that many leading websites -- including Reddit, Google, Facebook, Amazon and others -- contend will make it challenging if not impossible for them to operate.
It's a dramatic response to the Protect Intellectual Property Act under consideration in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, a pair of bills backed by the motion picture and recording industries that are intended to eliminate theft online once and for all.
Simply put, S. 968 and H.R. 3261 would require ISPs to block access to foreign websites that infringe on copyrights. Online piracy from China and elsewhere is a massive problem for the media industry, one that costs as much as $250 billion per year and costs the industry 750,000 jobs, according to a 2008 statement by Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. But how exactly the bills would counter piracy has many up in arms.
"There are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue websites without asking American companies to censor the Internet," Google spokeswoman Samantha Smith told FoxNews.com on Tuesday. The site joined Wikipedia by presenting readers with a black bar over its logo, and other websites have prominent SOPA protest content posted. But the online encyclopedia's blackout is a line-in-the-sand action -- and it isn't sitting well with some of its volunteer editors.
"My main concern is that it puts the organization in the role of advocacy, and that's a slippery slope," said editor Robert Lawton, a Michigan computer consultant who would prefer that the encyclopedia stick to being a neutral repository of knowledge. "Before we know it, we're blacked out because we want to save the whales."
Instead of encyclopedia articles, visitors to the site saw a stark black-and-white page with the message: "Imagine a world without free knowledge." It carried a link to information about the two congressional bills and details about how to reach lawmakers.
The shutdown adds to a very vocal body of critics who are speaking out against the legislation. But the bill's many supporters -- including the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and News Corp., the parent company of FoxNews.com -- argue that those critics simply misunderstand the bill.
“Anti-piracy legislation now before Congress finally addresses the threat of foreign piracy, and it’s unfortunate that so many opponents have resorted to inaccurate and flatly dishonest claims in an attempt to derail it," said Timothy Lee, vice president of legal and public affairs for the Center for Individual Freedom.
Chris Dodd, chairman of the MPAA, denounced the blackout as a stunt, News.com reported. "[It's] an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on [the sites] for information and [who] use their services."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/18/wikipedia-goes-dark-for-24-hours-to-protest-us-web-piracy-bills/#ixzz1jpvyF8m7
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