Call your Congressmen and U.S. Senators, says Wikipedia

Wikipedia encourages U.S. citizens to oppose proposed Congressional laws known as SOPA and PIPA that would damage free use of the Internet

ASSOCIATED PRESS UPDATE JAN. 21, 2012: For now, Internet freedom fighters have won the battle to kill, or at least alter, the proposed SOPA and PIPA legislation. AP report: More>

On Weds., Jan. 18, 2012, Wikipedia has gone black and will not accept any inquiries. Instead Wikipedia is encouraging readers to contact their U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators to tell them you are against the passage of this legislation that could fatally damage the free and open internet.

In its effort, Wikipedia initially prepared several different statements to encourage Americans to call their respective U.S. representatives and senators.

In an initial statement posted on Jan. 18, 2012, Wikipedia states: "Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge. For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia."

When a Wikipedia user enters his or her zip code, a second message appears along with the U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators that represent those in that specific zip code.

In 28801 and nearby Asheville area zip codes, call:

Rep. Heath Shuler [D, NC-11]
Phone: 202-225-6401

Sen. Richard Burr [R, NC]
Phone: 202-224-3154

Sen. Kay Hagan [D, NC]
Phone: 202-224-6342

Wikipedia then states: "Call your elected officials. Tell them you are their constituent, and you oppose SOPA and PIPA. Why?

"SOPA and PIPA put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small sites won't have sufficient resources to defend themselves. Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their foreign competitors, even if copyright isn't being infringed. Foreign sites will be blacklisted, which means they won't show up in major search engines. SOPA and PIPA build a framework for future restrictions and suppression.

"In a world in which politicians regulate the Internet based on the influence of big money, Wikipedia — and sites like it — cannot survive.

"Congress says it's trying to protect the rights of copyright owners, but the 'cure' that SOPA and PIPA represent is worse than the disease. SOPA and PIPA are not the answer: they will fatally damage the free and open Internet."

For more information about SOPA and PIPA, and about Wikipedia's action, Click Here>

Follows are several articles about the Wikipedia protest:

► "Protest on Protest on Web Uses Shutdown to Take On Two Piracy Bills," By Jenna Wortham, NYTimes.com, Jan. 17, 2012: More>

► "Wikipedia Blackout" on HuffingtonPost.com, Jan. 16, 2012: More>

► "SOPA protests shut down Web sites," By David A. Fahrenthold, WashingtonPost.com, Jan. 17, 2012: More>

► Curiously, as of early Jan. 18, 2012, Newsweek's TheDailybeast.com barely mentioned Wikipedia's action.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports SOPA

As could have been anticipated, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which typically prefers the status quo over innovation and sides with giant corporate interests, supports this SOPA legislation that would restrict Internet content and create a less than free and open Internet, particularly for publishers of small, independent websites.

For details about other entities that side with the Chamber and aggressively support the SOPA legislation that could be potentially lethal to future expansion and greater use of the Internet, Click Here>

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