Reddit Gets Ready To Go Dark To Protest SOPA - TheAtlantic

[WillyT]

Reddit Gets Ready to Go Dark to Protest SOPA
ADAM CLARK ESTES - The Atlantic
10:13 AM ET



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With the announcement that Reddit will go dark next Wednesday the protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is getting real. In an official blog post, the site's admins cited "freedom, innovation and economic opportunity" as principles that SOPA risks stomping on and boldly said that the site would go dark on January 18 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. They say:

Instead of the normal glorious, user-curated chaos of reddit, we will be displaying a simple message about how the PIPA/SOPA legislation would shut down sites like reddit, link to resources to learn more, and suggest ways to take action. We will showcase the live video stream of the House hearing where Internet entrepreneurs and technical experts (including reddit co-founder Alexis “kn0thing” Ohanian) will be testifying. We will also spotlight community initiatives like meetups to visit Congressional offices, campaigns to contact companies supporting PIPA/SOPA, and other tactics.

Oof. Isn't this probably going to piss off some Redditors used to spending their days upvoting, downvoting, commenting, and lulzing? Yes, but that's sort of the point, the admins explain that "support for a blackout isn’t unanimous" and they "wouldn’t do this if we didn’t believe this legislation and the forces behind it were a serious threat to reddit and the Internet as we know it." Inevitably, the blackout is an effort to "amplify the voice of the community." Based on the pick up the announcement's gotten on Twitter, we think it's probably working.

Speaking of Twitter, Reddit's not the only online community that's taking their SOPA protest to the next level. The familiar show of support by adjusting avatars on Twitter and other social networks is quickly becoming ubiquitous. Some call this a "twibbon" (we hate the term "twibbon".) The effort is not unlike the December protest that saw a number of websites strikethrough their logos to represent the censorship that SOPA could allow or the very sticky collection of headshots on "I Work For the Internet". Blacking out part of one's avatar isn't exactly the equivalent of letting one of the world's most trafficked link-sharing sites go dark, but it's a sign that the people are taking the proposed law and it's consequences very personally. When magnified by the dedication and loyalty of the Reddit community, the possible effects of these individuals coming together and flexing their crowd power is inevitably, well, incredibly powerful.

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More: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2012/01/reddit-gets-ready-go-dark-protest-sopa/47251/

Original Announcement: http://www.reddit.com/tb/obg8v

[peacebird]

1. K&R!

[WillyT]

2. Hey Thanks !!!