Google to Display Anti-SOPA Message During Blackout

[beer]

It’s official, tomorrow’s anti-SOPA protest has reached its height: Google will be displaying an anti-SOPA message during the blackout. Google will not actually be blacking out, but instead will display a link to an anti-SOPA, anti-PIPA message on its homepage, presumably in the form of a Google Doodle, but they haven’t said explicitly.

CNET quotes a Google spokeswoman as explaining the rationale this way:

“Like many businesses, entrepreneurs and web users, we oppose these bills because there are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue websites without asking American companies to censor the Internet. So tomorrow we will be joining many other tech companies to highlight this issue on our US home page.”

Short of an actual Google blackout, or maybe some kind of action by Facebook, this is the single best development protesters could possibly hope for.

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[beer]

That is kinda weak... I thought we were going to see some fireworks from a google blackout. Oh well, at least it's spreading some awareness, better than nothing.

[DKT27]

SOPA protest swells as Google, Scribd, and Wordpress join

Google will join Wednesday's protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act, linking to anti-SOPA information on the firm's US home page.

"Like many businesses, entrepreneurs and web users, we oppose these bills because there are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue websites without asking American companies to censor the Internet," a Google spokesman told Ars. "So tomorrow we will be joining many other tech companies to highlight this issue on our US home page."

Google did not elaborate on exactly how it would change its site, but its plans will be less drastic than those of Wikipedia and reddit, which will "go dark."

Also joining in the protest will be Scribd, the document hosting website. "Visitors to the site will see a popup with a call to action featuring a petition," Scribd said in a statement.

"The future of the Internet cannot be beholden to ill-conceived legislation," said Scribed CTO Jared Friedman. "We believe that global intellectual property rights and a free and open Internet can co-exist."

A number of other major sites have announced plans to join the protest, including Wordpress, TwitPic, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. OpenSUSE is also "going on strike." There is also an in-person protest planned in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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