Internet protest spurs flood of tweets, calls to Congress
Today’s online protest against legislation to fight Internet piracy has led to scores of calls to Congress and a steady outcry via Twitter, after some of the biggest names on the Web -- including Google Inc., Wikipedia , Craigslist , and Mozilla -- blacked out their sites or posted messages opposing the legislation.
The offices of Democratic Rep. Ed Markey of Malden and and Jim McGovern, a Worcester Democrat, both said they were busily fielding calls in opposition to two anti-piracy bills now before Congress, which critics say would allow government censorship of the Internet.
On the social media site Twitter today, McGovern wrote, “Internet piracy is an issue that should be addressed. But #SOPA as written is unwise,unfair&against fundamental rights for all Americans.” Markey has said the bills need a closer look.
The two bills have bipartisan support in Congress and are supported by a coalition of media companies, including the Motion Picture Association of America, who say they are a needed tool to fight websites that share illegal copies of movies, TV shows, and other content. The protest prompted Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas to weaken his support for the bills. Cornyn posted today on his Facebook page that “stealing content is theft, plain and simple, but concerns about the Internet and free speech necessitate a more thoughtful, deliberative process.”
This morning, the bills were the second most popular topic on Twitter, with many users sounding off against the bill or directing tweets to their congressional representatives.
The online outcry against the Stop Online Piracy Act , being considered in the House of Representatives, and Protect Intellectual Property Act , the Senate version of the legislation, is being led by a coalition of free speech activists, as well as sites like Wikipedia, which took its site down at midnight on Tuesday for 24 hours.
Today, when users who visit the English version of Wikipedia, one of the Web’s most popular sites, the screen goes dark and this message appears: “Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia.”
There did appear to be several ways to access the online encyclopedia, including through meta.wikimedia.org, a site associated with Wikipedia, and through its mobile version for smartphones. Some visitors using computers can also view the site by hitting the “Esc” button before the page fully loads.
Google, Tumblr, and other sites have posted messages directing users to Web pages where they can read about the bills, or send emails to their representatives.
Michael B. Farrell can be reached at michael.farrell@globe.com.
