Subject: English language Wikipedia blackout, January 18 From: Kevin Austin <kevin.austin@xxxxxxxx> Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:09:29 -0500 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>--Boundary_(ID_buyjVbdJFyfMdv6sJYUk5w) Content-type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/English_Wikipedia_anti-SOPA_blackout To: English Wikipedia Readers and Community=20 From: Sue Gardner, Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director=20 Date: January 16, 2012=20 Today, the Wikipedia community announced its decision to black out the = English-language Wikipedia for 24 hours, worldwide, beginning at 05:00 = UTC on Wednesday, January 18 (you can read the statement from the = Wikimedia Foundation here). The blackout is a protest against proposed = legislation in the United States=97the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in = the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECTIP Act (PIPA) in the = U.S. Senate=97that, if passed, would seriously damage the free and open = Internet, including Wikipedia. This will be the first time the English Wikipedia has ever staged a = public protest of this nature, and it=92s a decision that wasn=92t = lightly made. Here=92s how it=92s been described by the three Wikipedia = administrators who formally facilitated the community=92s discussion. = =46rom the public statement, signed by User:NuclearWarfare, User:Risker = and User:Billinghurst: It is the opinion of the English Wikipedia community that both of these = bills, if passed, would be devastating to the free and open web. Over the course of the past 72 hours, over 1800 Wikipedians have joined = together to discuss proposed actions that the community might wish to = take against SOPA and PIPA. This is by far the largest level of = participation in a community discussion ever seen on Wikipedia, which = illustrates the level of concern that Wikipedians feel about this = proposed legislation. The overwhelming majority of participants support = community action to encourage greater public action in response to these = two bills. Of the proposals considered by Wikipedians, those that would = result in a =93blackout=94 of the English Wikipedia, in concert with = similar blackouts on other websites opposed to SOPA and PIPA, received = the strongest support. On careful review of this discussion, the closing administrators note = the broad-based support for action from Wikipedians around the world, = not just from within the United States. The primary objection to a = global blackout came from those who preferred that the blackout be = limited to readers from the United States, with the rest of the world = seeing a simple banner notice instead. We also noted that roughly 55% of = those supporting a blackout preferred that it be a global one, with many = pointing to concerns about similar legislation in other nations. Kevin= --Boundary_(ID_buyjVbdJFyfMdv6sJYUk5w) Content-type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <html><head></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; = -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; = "><div><br></div><div><a = href=3D"http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/English_Wikipedia_anti-SOPA_bl= ackout">http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/English_Wikipedia_anti-SOPA_bl= ackout</a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 18px; line-height: 21px; = font-family: sans-serif; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0.4em; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: = 1.5em; "><b>To: English Wikipedia Readers and = Community <br></b><b>From: Sue Gardner, Wikimedia Foundation = Executive Director <br></b><b>Date: January 16, = 2012 <br><br></b></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0.4em; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: = 1.5em; ">Today, the Wikipedia community <a = href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Action" = class=3D"extiw" title=3D"w:en:Wikipedia:SOPA initiative/Action" = style=3D"text-decoration: none; color: rgb(51, 102, 187); = background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; = background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: = initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; = padding-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; = background-repeat: initial initial; ">announced its decision</a> to = black out the English-language Wikipedia for 24 hours, worldwide, = beginning at 05:00 UTC on Wednesday, January 18 (you can read = the <a = href=3D"http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/English_Wikiped= ia_to_go_dark" title=3D"Press releases/English Wikipedia to go dark" = style=3D"text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); = background-image: none !important; background-attachment: initial = !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: = initial !important; background-color: initial !important; padding-top: = 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px = !important; padding-left: 0px !important; background-position: initial = initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; = ">statement from the Wikimedia Foundation here</a>). The blackout is a = protest against proposed legislation in the United States=97the <a = href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Stop_Online_Piracy_Act" = class=3D"extiw" title=3D"w:en:Stop Online Piracy Act" = style=3D"text-decoration: none; color: rgb(51, 102, 187); = background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; = background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: = initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; = padding-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; = background-repeat: initial initial; ">Stop Online Piracy Act = (SOPA)</a> in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the <a = href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:PROTECT_IP_Act" class=3D"extiw" = title=3D"w:en:PROTECT IP Act" style=3D"text-decoration: none; color: = rgb(51, 102, 187); background-image: none; background-attachment: = initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; = background-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; = padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-position: initial = initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">PROTECTIP Act = (PIPA)</a> in the U.S. Senate=97that, if passed, would seriously = damage the free and open Internet, including Wikipedia.</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; = margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">This will be the first time the = English Wikipedia has ever staged a public protest of this nature, and = it=92s a decision that wasn=92t lightly made. Here=92s how it=92s been = described by the three Wikipedia administrators who formally facilitated = the community=92s discussion. =46rom the <a = href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Wikipedia:SOPA#Summary_and_conclus= ion" class=3D"extiw" title=3D"w:en:Wikipedia:SOPA" = style=3D"text-decoration: none; color: rgb(51, 102, 187); = background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; = background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: = initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; = padding-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; = background-repeat: initial initial; ">public statement</a>, signed by = User:NuclearWarfare, User:Risker and = User:Billinghurst:<i></i></div><i><dl style=3D"margin-top: 0.2em; = margin-bottom: 0.5em; "><dd style=3D"line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: = 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; "><dl style=3D"margin-top: 0.2em; = margin-bottom: 0.5em; "><dd style=3D"line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: = 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; ">It is the opinion of the English Wikipedia = community that both of these bills, if passed, would be devastating to = the free and open web.</dd></dl></dd></dl><dl style=3D"margin-top: = 0.2em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; "><dd style=3D"line-height: 1.5em; = margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; "><dl style=3D"margin-top: = 0.2em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; "><dd style=3D"line-height: 1.5em; = margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; ">Over the course of the past 72 = hours, over 1800 Wikipedians have joined together to discuss proposed = actions that the community might wish to take against SOPA and PIPA. = This is by far the largest level of participation in a community = discussion ever seen on Wikipedia, which illustrates the level of = concern that Wikipedians feel about this proposed legislation. The = overwhelming majority of participants support community action to = encourage greater public action in response to these two bills. Of the = proposals considered by Wikipedians, those that would result in a = =93blackout=94 of the English Wikipedia, in concert with similar = blackouts on other websites opposed to SOPA and PIPA, received the = strongest support.</dd></dl></dd></dl><dl style=3D"margin-top: 0.2em; = margin-bottom: 0.5em; "><dd style=3D"line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: = 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; "><dl style=3D"margin-top: 0.2em; = margin-bottom: 0.5em; "><dd style=3D"line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: = 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; ">On careful review of this discussion, the = closing administrators note the broad-based support for action from = Wikipedians around the world, not just from within the United States. = The primary objection to a global blackout came from those who preferred = that the blackout be limited to readers from the United States, with the = rest of the world seeing a simple banner notice instead. We also noted = that roughly 55% of those supporting a blackout preferred that it be a = global one, with many pointing to concerns about similar legislation in = other = nations.</dd></dl></dd></dl></i></span><div><br></div></div><div><br></div= ><div><br></div><div>Kevin</div></body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_buyjVbdJFyfMdv6sJYUk5w)--