Shut Up & Read discussion

I'm guessing by now, everyone knows about the internet protests of sites like Google and Wikipedia regarding the proposed bills to censor what goes on the internet. Personal feelings about the bill aside, two sites had the most hilarious protests I've ever seen and I thought I'd share:

The Oatmeal (make sure you watch the gif all the way to the end!)


Facts Without Wikipedia


Enjoy!

OMG! LOVE IT!

I must be living in the dark ages, because my daughter had heard of this but I had not...

But too funny! Loved the Facts Without Wikipedia :)

I'm guessing that's why my Google icon is blacked out today...I was wondering why they did that!

Cute web site, thanks for sharing, and it really sucked at work today when we were trying to wiki Commander Keen and couldn't! (no, my job doesn't have a single thing to do with video games,why do you ask...?)

This bill has got to be shut down, I did a post about it and posted the petition sign up page on my website. Could you imagine the internet without a site like this. This would be one that would be on the chopping block! http://janieraeldridge.blogspot.com/2...

Rumor has it that Obama is going to make a statement at his 12:35 address today that the White House will veto this bill unless substantial changes are made. Here's hoping!

I don't think it will ever pass. How can they realistically censor or edit the internet?

By arresting people like they did today. The FBI had been leading a 2 yr investigation on the four people behind Megaupload and today arrested them. They're each looking at upwards of 50 years in prison if convicted: BBC News


'Course, then we get people like the Anonymous group who tonight, in protest, hacked some of the opposing sites in retaliation, like the Justice Department, Universal Music, and the MPAA:
CBS News

And then PirateBay, who were kind of the reason these bills came to the table in the first place, chose to reply.


Basically, right now it's one big giant mess.

Lori wrote: "By arresting people like they did today. The FBI had been leading a 2 yr investigation on the four people behind Megaupload and today arrested them. They're each looking at upwards of 50 years in..."


There are always people who are going to do wrong. Hacking into websites is obviously not a good idea.

Janiera wrote: "Lori wrote: "By arresting people like they did today. The FBI had been leading a 2 yr investigation on the four people behind Megaupload and today arrested them. They're each looking at upwards o..."

Anon didn't hack the websites, they just flooded the servers and forced them to shut down for a few. I say good for them.

I'd source this if I wasn't on my phone.

I should clarify though that though they're right To protest the bills, Megavideo was clearly running an illegal operation and profiting off of piracy. That is irrelevant to Internet censorship, it is illegal whether the bill passes or not.

Ah, I'd thought they actually shut them down. Thanks for the info, Erica.

Since it had been a 2 yr investigation behind Megaupload, a part of me is pretty sure the date chosen to arrest these guys was deliberately chosen in "retaliation" to the blackout. And I totally agree with you--there are some pretty severe charges racked up against them way beyond the piracy counts. But to me, the whole thing looked like a posturing move behind the FBI to frighten those behind the blackouts.

The newest protest (for PIPA and ACTA this time) is to hit the music and movie companies' financial bottom line by not downloading anything (either legally or illegally) from March 1-31. It's the end of their fiscal quarter and would be very visible if that many people stopped buying digital media. I don't know how well it will work, but I do have to be impressed by the organization behind all this. Who knew anything on the internet could be organized?!?!