For many internet companies wearing black today is the new black. In fact, household names like
Wikipedia and
Reddit blacked out their website to protest the legislation on online piracy. This means that for the entire day those sites will not be in service. Instead they are posting a message about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) the government is trying to pass. Other big names like Facebook, AOL and Twitter were called to take action by making their websites unavailable for the day, but they declined. "
Closing a global business in reaction to single-issue national politics is foolish," said Dick Costolo (Chief executive, Twitter) He doesn't seem to be the only one thinking along those lines. In fact, although opposed to the bill, eBay, Mozilla and Zinga also chose to sit out the blackout.
Google on the other hand chose a more moderate approach. While keeping their search engines available for use they have censored their name. This way they are keeping the revenues from the searches while taking a stand.
By attempting to regulate the web the government is basically trying to tame a fleet of wild, hungry dinosaurs. Jurassic Park anyone? The beast has been unleashed and the protest has begun.
Are you wearing black?
