Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge

[Eki]

Because Wiki-Eki cares. It would be terrible if all knowledge and information would be owned and controlled by the likes of Rupert Murdoch.

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)


Imagine a World
Without Free Knowledge

For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. 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. Learn more.

(Soon anthonyvop will come and say right to knowledge is not a human right)

[Mark]

The main thing it underlines for me is just how important a resource wikipedia has become.

[schmenke]

"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty." James Madison

[Gregor-y]

I thought free trade with China would make them more like us, not the other way 'round.

[Dave B]

I think Wikipedia has got this wrong. Not the opposition to politicians' cretinous, flawed and ultimately doomed attempts to control the internet, but the notion that we can't live without their website.

After 24 hours of (easily worked around) blackout I suspect most people's reaction was "oh well, we got by without you".

[Garry Walker]

I am guessing many uni students were in trouble today.

[Dave B]

I am guessing many uni students were in trouble today.
Unlikely. They're usually penalised for using Wikipedia as a primary source, and in any event the blackout was trivially easy to circumvent (disable Javascript or use mobile or non-English versions).

[Garry Walker]

Unlikely. They're usually penalised for using Wikipedia as a primary source, and in any event the blackout was trivially easy to circumvent (disable Javascript or use mobile or non-English versions).

Well, my point rather was that wiki is actually used in unis these days. I know a kid of a friend of mine actually wrote his exam based on 100% wikipedia materials. Obviously in dissertations they are not allowed to use it.

[Ranger]

A 24-hour Wikipedia blackout is not the issue people should be talking about here.

More importantly, SOPA and PIPA are both extremely misguided pieces of legislation backed and signed by congressmen and women who don't know anything about the internet.

Piracy is indeed harmful, but these bills are akin to curing dandruff with decapitation.

I would urge anyone to educate themselves on this issue as it WILL affect you if it passed.

What Is SOPA? Giz Explains | Gizmodo Australia (http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/01/what-is-sopa/)

SOPA and PIPA: Just the Facts | PCWorld (http://www.pcworld.com/article/248298/sopa_and_pipa_just_the_facts.html)

[Rollo]

Ian Hislop pointed out on the BBC World Service this morning that one of the implications of SOPA and PIPA isn't just the ability to download "torrents", but that it would technically make it impossible to copy and quote someone if you intended to write any serious piece of journalism.

For example:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/business/warm-winter-is-bad-news-for-retailers.html?hpw
"As winter approached, retailers ordered clothes for cold weather, arranged their stores for cold weather and then just started hoping for cold weather.
Winter is here, but the cold weather by and large is not."
- New York Times, 18th Jan 2012.

I just picked any old article out at random.

The point is that under the provisions of SOPA because I haven't paid the owners of the New York Times in order to quote their article, they'd now have the ability to sue for punitive damages and have motorsportforums.com shut down altogether for violation of copyright.

As far as writing academic papers and the need to cite where your information came from SOPA is downright draconian.

[ArrowsFA1]

As I read someone say - SOPA and PIPA are simply the instruments by which old media interests hope to have new media delivered into their hands. Yet again politicians bow to their masters and produce the means by which this can be achieved.

[Mark]

It seems the same that happened with the music industry, they fought and fought against online, instead of embracing it. Instead Apple came along and took control.