Last week you may have noticed some of your favorite websites sporting a different look.
The largest online protest in the history of the Internet was launched on Wednesday, Jan. 18 against the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)/PIPA (Protect IP Act) bills.
The bills, which are currently being mulled over by Congress, call for putting a stop to piracy on the Internet.
Several of your favorite websites and ours, including Wikipedia, WordPress, Google, Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter, spoke out against the bills.
Both Wikipedia and WordPress participated in a “black-out,” essentially shutting down their sites for a day.
If you tried to go to their site on that fateful Wednesday, you were greeted by a black screen with a message explaining what SOPA/PIPA are, and why you should be against them.
Google took the “black-out” to a lesser extreme by placing a black box over their logo.
They also launched a petition called “End Piracy, Not Liberty,” which gained over 7 million electronic signatures.
Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg didn’t shut down the website, but instead posted a message on his own page clearly stating that Facebook is against the bills.
We’re with Zuckerberg on this one, and we applaud these websites for showing solidarity against the bills.
It obviously had an effect on lawmakers as well, since voting on the bills has been put on hold.
If you’re an avid fan of the Internet, which we know you all are, do yourself a favor and learn about these bills. Then, post about them on Facebook, Twitter and whatever other website you feel like.
It won’t go unnoticed by the lawmakers in Congress.
