Web Blackout

Some of the internet's biggest websites will go dark on Wednesday, January 18 to protest a pair of anti-piracy bills.

The popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, is shutting down its English-language site for 24-hours starting at midnight  The decision is in light of a protest against the proposed " Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) and the " Protect Intellectual Property Act" (PIPA).

The two bills aim at cracking down on online sales of pirated movies, music and other goods.  If made law,  internet companies would be forced to block access to foreign sites offering material that violates U.S. copyright laws.

Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales, argues the legislation threatens the future of the internet.  But he's not alone, about a dozen other websites are closing down too, including discussion forums Reddit, Boing Boing and Firefox browser designer Mozilla.  There's even a song: http://youtu.be/ZJANVx-BtDQ

Google, Facebook and Twitter, all of whom oppose SOPA are not participating in the blackout but have expressed their displeasure.  The tech companies issued a warning in a Nov. 15 letter that it would force new liabilities and mandates on law-abiding technology companies and require them to monitor websites. "We are concerned that these measures pose a serious risk to our industry's continued track record of innovation and job-creation, as well as to our nation's cyber security," the letter stated.

The film and music industry widely support the measures, desperate to crack down on the sales of pirated products abroad.

The White House said in the blog posted Saturday that it would work with Congress on legislation to help battle piracy and counterfeiting while defending free expression, privacy, security and innovation in the Internet.

SOPA is currently being debated by the House Judiciary Committee, and PIPA is to be voted on by the Senate later this month.

In the meantime, Wednesday's protest is expected to block or detour tens of millions of people. Consider this your heads-up.