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Reddit Going Offline to Protest SOPA

Other sites consider doing the same

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 11, 2012 10:24 AM CST

(Newser) – Reddit is doing more than just pressuring Paul Ryan and GoDaddy over the Stop Online Piracy Act: The social media forum is taking itself offline in protest. One week from today, visitors to Reddit.com will only see a message about SOPA and its threats to Internet freedom, as well as live video of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and others from the tech world testifying before Congress.

Rep. Darrell Issa, who opposes SOPA, has assigned his House Oversight Committee to investigate some of the techniques recommended by the legislation—including DNS and search engine blockades, which are currently used in Iran and China. Reddit is the first site to announce a blackout, but Wikipedia, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Amazon are also considering such a protest, the Raw Story reports.

A screenshot of the Reddit homepage.
A screenshot of the Reddit homepage.   (Reddit.com)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
odowd80
Jan 11, 2012 4:09 PM CST
I would LOVE to see the impact of turning off Facebook for a day! Imagine the number of births that would occur 9 months later!
Headblade
Jan 11, 2012 2:42 PM CST
Looking at the list of companies lining up against the bill, they most definitely have the power to flip it against those who support the bill. If these companies are against being forced to impose censorship on behalf of others, how about demonstrating an example of censorship that benefits themselves. In an election year let's see the reaction if Twitter suspends the account of any politician who supports the bill, if Facebook closes their pages, if Youtube removes their videos, if Google makes them unsearchable, etc.etc. Then sit back and watch the panic! I understand the piracy issue and sympathize with their situation. But how about making an effort to understand the problem rather than calling for the nuclear solution!
GenericLeftist
Jan 11, 2012 12:55 PM CST
She put Paul Ryan's name in there because of bias. He already said "I will not support this bill PERIOD."

 
Reddit • Stop Online Piracy Act • SOPA

 
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