Those sites that are completely blacked out, like makezine and Wikipedia, are doing exactly what many accuse DRM of doing. Annoying their users while producing no real benefit. Google’s and HN’s methods are better.
ADDED: Most of them don’t particularly matter to me, I rarely use Wikipedia, for example. The one that has annoyed me is the Internet Archive blackout—www.archive.org
I’ll concede that it was of help, if they don’t try to pass one of them, or an equivalent bill, next year after the elections. As I put it in a different HN comment thread:
For now, any way. As soon as it’s out of the news, after the elections, they will almost certainly try to pass them, or another similar bill, again. It’s a never ending game of Whack-A-Mole. Eventually, one will get through.
ADDED: This is a combination focussed benefit for SOPA/PIPA/RWA supporters, versus a collective action problem for the opposition. While I hate the SOPA/PIPA/RWA trilogy, the reality is they will very probably (>80%) become law within the next three years.
It would be wonderful if defending freedom were a one-off job like proving Fermat’s Last Theorem. As it turns out, it’s an endlessly recurring job like fighting disease; unfortunate, but that’s the way it is. And yes, sometimes our efforts fail, and freedoms are lost or people get sick and die. But the answer to that is to work harder and smarter, not to give up.
Who’s giving up? You whiners are just playing the politicians’ game. Avoidance often works better and wastes less time. Some people have begun work on an alternate domain name type system, and others different style replacements that would be harder to control, for example.
If you want to trade quotes, what about
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.
Hatch has a long history, it is true… No doubt his recanting is purely tactical, like the rescheduling of SOPA was. (‘not ready for prime time’ kind of implies that he would like it to come back when it is ready.)
Wikipedia is not completely blacked out. From their “learn more” page:
Is it still possible to access Wikipedia in any way?
Yes. During the blackout, Wikipedia is accessible on mobile devices and smart phones. You can also view Wikipedia normally by disabling JavaScript in your browser, as explained on this Technical FAQ page. Our purpose here isn’t to make it completely impossible for people to read Wikipedia, and it’s okay for you to circumvent the blackout. We just want to make sure you see our message.
Wikipedia’s the only striking site that got the mainstream media interested. There’s been 4 million lookups on Wikipedia’s zipcode finder so far today. (Full data will be released in a day or two, when the WMF staff have had any sleep.) Wikipedia took the entire existence of SOPA mainstream.
I may be biased because the UK mainstream electronic media coverage has been substantial—I’ve been doing radio for two days, others have been doing television (including Jimmy Wales on Newsnight, which is seriously important here). I don’t know what the US media coverage landscape looks like—has it hit mainstream electronic media, or are they treating it as something those funny Internet people are making a fuss about?
I don’t know what the US media coverage landscape looks like—has it hit mainstream electronic media, or are they treating it as something those funny Internet people are making a fuss about?
Articles either displaying the blackout logo or directly mentioning Wikipedia in the headline are above the fold on cnn.com and nytimes.com, and below the fold on MSNBC. Most of the editorials I see look to be coming down on the opposition side. Don’t see anything on the SF Chronicle front page.
I don’t follow US news much, but it looks like it’s got some attention.
Might be hard to compare Wikipedia and Google. I’d guess more people use Google, but Wikipedia is more invasive. Regardless, it is certainly highly effective.
I think for media coverage, it would have been Wikipedia. Journalists joke about students left stranded without Wikipedia for their homework … but as far as I can tell, they’re almost all utterly reliant on Wikipedia as their handy universal backgrounder. They’re feeling its absence keenly. (And crying with relief when they realise it still works on their phones.) The news cycle started as soon as the warning banner went up yesterday.
They say so speaking to them (they used to say so a lot, when it was a novelty—say, 2005-2008), and I get the impression from stories that seem to have been backgrounded from Wikipedia. (Which is admittedly subjective rather than statistics. But when you recognise the Wikipedia writing style …) I suspect this is a lot of why Wikipedia gets a really easy ride from the press.
Here’s a comment I left in a thread on HN:
Those sites that are completely blacked out, like makezine and Wikipedia, are doing exactly what many accuse DRM of doing. Annoying their users while producing no real benefit. Google’s and HN’s methods are better.
ADDED: Most of them don’t particularly matter to me, I rarely use Wikipedia, for example. The one that has annoyed me is the Internet Archive blackout—www.archive.org
Out of curiosity, how many Congress-critters would have to recant before you would concede ‘real benefit’?
I’ll concede that it was of help, if they don’t try to pass one of them, or an equivalent bill, next year after the elections. As I put it in a different HN comment thread:
For now, any way. As soon as it’s out of the news, after the elections, they will almost certainly try to pass them, or another similar bill, again. It’s a never ending game of Whack-A-Mole. Eventually, one will get through.
ADDED: This is a combination focussed benefit for SOPA/PIPA/RWA supporters, versus a collective action problem for the opposition. While I hate the SOPA/PIPA/RWA trilogy, the reality is they will very probably (>80%) become law within the next three years.
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
It would be wonderful if defending freedom were a one-off job like proving Fermat’s Last Theorem. As it turns out, it’s an endlessly recurring job like fighting disease; unfortunate, but that’s the way it is. And yes, sometimes our efforts fail, and freedoms are lost or people get sick and die. But the answer to that is to work harder and smarter, not to give up.
Until you eradicate smallpox, or polio, or Congress.
Who’s giving up? You whiners are just playing the politicians’ game. Avoidance often works better and wastes less time. Some people have begun work on an alternate domain name type system, and others different style replacements that would be harder to control, for example.
If you want to trade quotes, what about
For those unfamiliar with the RWA, here’s Derek Lowe’s discussion, Down with the Research Works Act.
Orrin Hatch has apparently recanted (edit: “not ready for prime time”), though for some reason I find it hard to assume good faith.
Hatch has a long history, it is true… No doubt his recanting is purely tactical, like the rescheduling of SOPA was. (‘not ready for prime time’ kind of implies that he would like it to come back when it is ready.)
Wikipedia is not completely blacked out. From their “learn more” page:
(Admittedly, many people will not notice this.)
Finally, the day has come! My faith has been vindicated! *starts lynx*
You can also just hit Esc while the page is loading.
or append ?banner=no to the url
The Wikipedia blackout has been the single most effective protest against SOPA.
We got a front page headline in the UK. Admittedly only in Metro, which is complete rubbish … but is read by every bored commuter in the country.
My prior agrees, but have any evidence?
Wikipedia’s the only striking site that got the mainstream media interested. There’s been 4 million lookups on Wikipedia’s zipcode finder so far today. (Full data will be released in a day or two, when the WMF staff have had any sleep.) Wikipedia took the entire existence of SOPA mainstream.
I may be biased because the UK mainstream electronic media coverage has been substantial—I’ve been doing radio for two days, others have been doing television (including Jimmy Wales on Newsnight, which is seriously important here). I don’t know what the US media coverage landscape looks like—has it hit mainstream electronic media, or are they treating it as something those funny Internet people are making a fuss about?
(Edit: The post-blackout press release. 8 million zipcode lookups.)
Articles either displaying the blackout logo or directly mentioning Wikipedia in the headline are above the fold on cnn.com and nytimes.com, and below the fold on MSNBC. Most of the editorials I see look to be coming down on the opposition side. Don’t see anything on the SF Chronicle front page.
I don’t follow US news much, but it looks like it’s got some attention.
Congratulations on the media coverage!
Might be hard to compare Wikipedia and Google. I’d guess more people use Google, but Wikipedia is more invasive. Regardless, it is certainly highly effective.
I think for media coverage, it would have been Wikipedia. Journalists joke about students left stranded without Wikipedia for their homework … but as far as I can tell, they’re almost all utterly reliant on Wikipedia as their handy universal backgrounder. They’re feeling its absence keenly. (And crying with relief when they realise it still works on their phones.) The news cycle started as soon as the warning banner went up yesterday.
How far can you tell?
They say so speaking to them (they used to say so a lot, when it was a novelty—say, 2005-2008), and I get the impression from stories that seem to have been backgrounded from Wikipedia. (Which is admittedly subjective rather than statistics. But when you recognise the Wikipedia writing style …) I suspect this is a lot of why Wikipedia gets a really easy ride from the press.