The Day that Wikipedia Went Dark

Hello everyone!

Well, very early today, just after midnight, I attempted to look up Marilyn vs Savant, one of the most intelligent people in the world on wikipedia, and this is the image which enveloped my screen.

"Oh." I said to myself. "That's right. Today is blackout day."

Today, as many of you probably know, wikipedia blacked out their site in a bold effort to protest against SOPA and PIPA, two bills the government has been considering for a while.

Now I can't claim to know all that much about this. I haven't been following the debates and all the controversy surrounding these two bills. I barely knew of them until a day or two ago. And  can't claim to know enough facts to really declare an opinion about them.

However, today, in honor of the blackout, I have searched around a bit for some information, and found a post (on Boing Boing, ironically) that was most helpful.

Now I'm not sure how much of this is accurate or objective. I can vouch for it because it's on Boing Boing, but only so far.

But...

I must say it affected me. Not everybody uses the Internet in a way that glorifies God, or is good or proper, or even with good stewardship and vigilance, but I also don't believe in the government foolishly attempting to solve every social ill in the U.S. through our finite and very flawed human means. Yes, evil and wrong should be fought and brought to justice. But obstructing good things, sacrificing what you seek to protect (in this case, the prosperity and security of individuals on the Internet) is very wrong. Controlling the voices and freedom of people by gaining almost complete reign over any site, people's personal property and platforms of speech, with almost no reasonable cause (especially considering that the Internet is very inter connected, which is both one of its merits as well as its downfalls, but no less its nature )  is not only unconstitutional, but self-defeating. If the information I have been given is truth, then this law is very troubling indeed, and I find myself taking a strong stance against it.

However, I do believe that more information is warranted; not everything on the Internet should be taken at face value (of course, then again, neither should most bills). But something i do stand for is Freedom of speech and Public access to information and connection. These are all very precious, valuable things, things which are to be treasured and protected, and never to tossed aside with abandon.