Google, Yahoo, Facebook and Twitter threaten to go offline over SOPA.

[Qitz]

We all know about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and how it has such big guns like Apple and the ESA behind it.

Well a few well known companies have joined up against it.

Google, Yahoo, Facebook and Twitter, some of the biggest internet based companies out there have pledged to take their websites down for an entire day if the threat of SOPA gets too far to "Give people a taste of whats to come."

Markham Erickson, executive director of trade association NetCoalition, who told FoxNews that ?a number of companies have had discussions about [blacking out services]? last week.

He also said:

This type of thing doesn?t happen because companies typically don?t want to put their users in that position. The difference is that these bills so fundamentally change the way the Internet works. People need to understand the effect this special-interest legislation will have on those who use the Internet.

Do you think they'll do it? Would Google, which includes Youtube, take itself down? What about Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo? Do you think this would get enough peoples attention that Congress would have no point but to throw out both SOPA and the IPPA?

Personally, I hope they do it. Nothing will get peoples attention like seeing just what they'll lose. That and having more heavy hitters against this act, companies worth millions, if not billions, is only a plus.

Spoiler: The Young Turks talks about the move

Source techland.time.com [http://techland.time.com/2012/01/05/sopa-what-if-google-facebook-and-twitter-went-offline-in-protest/#ixzz1idW7PEZu]

 

[Doclector]

Those websites make an astounding amount of money every damn day. Nothing'll get those congress b******s sweating about the threats of SOPA like seeing how much money will be lost from the american economy, just through those few sites being down for a single day.

 

[Drop_D-Bombshell]

As much as i'll be annoyed if it does happen, my opinion is that they NEED to do this. Not only will it gain more support for the ANTI-SOPA movement, but it'll no doubt affect the fat cats in congree and they'll be hit with massive anger.

Go for it you guys, we still having video-games to tide us over for the day.

 

[sky14kemea]

Will we still have Skype, though? Otherwise I kinda have no way to contact my friends for a day. xD

I think it'd be interesting though, I'd like to see it done.

 

[DazZ.]

I want it to happen just to see the reaction.

I've got enough online things to do that aren't linked to those sites, or I'll go outside.

 

[Wushu Panda]

Do you think they'll do it? Would Google, which includes Youtube, take itself down? What about Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo? Do you think this would get enough peoples attention that Congress would have no point but to throw out both SOPA and the IPPA?

Personally, I hope they do it. Nothing will get peoples attention like seeing just what they'll lose. That and having more heavy hitters against this act, companies worth millions, if not billions, is only a plus.

I think its a good idea. Showing people that wont be able to actively or freely search for information/communicate once laws like SOPA are in place. personally i wish the sites could go down for a bit more time, just so people cant ignore it. people go insane when they lose their phone or computer breaks down, its going to be 100x worse if the sites they frequent are never there even IF they have their devices.

EDIT: it shouldnt be announced when they go offline. just turn off and let people see what its like to 'connect' and see nothing is there.

 

[teqrevisited]

Nice to see the argument against has some clout to it. I watch my sub box pretty much every day, but I can stand to wait any length of time if it means these ridiculous acts don't come to pass. Don't forget SOPA's ugly twin sister, PIPA (Protect IP), either.

Those trying to push this through wont be happy until every freedom they so vehemently defend is taken away and they'll smile and shake your hand while they're doing it.

 

[MasterOfHisOwnDomain]

Would sort of like to see it happen, but I can imagine that there will be a great deal of criticism levied at those who participate. For some people, they NEED to check their emails and such every day, and failure to do so could result in missed appointments, transactions etc. The impact of this could be catastrophic.

And what happens if everyone jumps ship to those services which refuse to join the blackout? I can imagine Bing quietly rubbing its hands in delight.

 

[hazabaza1]

I guess I'll have a day free to play Dark Souls.

 

[Qitz]

Would sort of like to see it happen, but I can imagine that there will be a great deal of criticism levied at those who participate. For some people, they NEED to check their emails and such every day, and failure to do so could result in missed appointments, transactions etc. The impact of this could be catastrophic.

And what happens if everyone jumps ship to those services which refuse to join the blackout? I can imagine Bing quietly rubbing its hands in delight.

While I see what you're saying about relying on those, hell I use a Gmail account to manage my Work email, it may just be the fire under the ass of its proponents that it needs.

As for jumping ship, when it comes to some of those, like Google and Bing, Googles got enough of a hold on its market to not really be scared. Same with Twitter. Facebook, where will you go? MySpace instead?

It may get them some backlash but it'll raise the attention they need while causing, relatively, minor problems.

 

[FamoFunk]

Sounds good. I can live without these sites for a day, I doubt fat-cats can.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

I guess I'll have a day free to play Dark Souls.

Mass Effect, in my case.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

It's an extreme measure, but it really needs to be done, even only for a few hours, it will instantly get everyone (and I mean everyone) aware of the Bill, and it will mean that the media will have to talk about it, removing their blackout.

Furthermore, it will effectively show everyone who doesn't know about it (and many of us that do) just how serious a threat to the freedom of the internet this Bill is.

Yes, there will be a massive amount of disruption, but if fair warning is given (a week or two) then the worst affected can prepare for it, and even that will only serve to bring more publicity to the Bill.

I actually think this is the single biggest, and best way to get the news of SOPA out to everyone, and to get their support against the Bill.

 

[KeyMaster45]

I think it would send a very clear message to people everywhere. The media would be hard pressed to ignore them going offline and it would ultimately (hopefully) bring SOPA to the eyes of the general public. The members of my family like to piss and moan about how they think Obama is taking away civil liberties (though after the NDAA I might have to reevaluate my disagreement with them) but when I brought up SOPA to them they just scratched their collective heads and said they'd never heard of it.

 

[Miles000]

If just Facebook took down their site, and replaced it with a message...

"This is what will happen is SOPA passes!"

Then instantly we have every Facebooker against it.
That act alone will cause an uproar.
Our 'vocal minority' suddenly becomes a huge force to be reckoned with.

 

[Generic_Username]

Just when I was beginning to think that every big company and their deaf grandmother were supporting SOPA.
At least some of them still have some sense left. Thankfully.

 

[EdwardOrchard]

If just Facebook took down their site, and replaced it with a message...

"This is what will happen if SOPA passes!"

Then instantly we have every Facebooker against it.
That act alone will cause an uproar.
Our 'vocal minority' suddenly becomes a huge force to be reckoned with.

My thoughts exactly... how many hundreds of millions of people use google, facebook, youtube, twitter etc every day? And every time they go to one of those sites they just see that message.
This is exactly what needs to happen, IMO.

 

[Miles000]

I doubt that it would make a diffrence. Who uses these websites daily? Companies mabey, but certainly not people.

But how many people actually do use them in a day?

Sure, you won't get everyone, but there are millions and millions everyday that use these sites, that know nothing about SOPA.
If someone who goes on google say once or twice a week, who has never heard of SOPA, happens to try and get on during that time...
Then we have more support that would have never had otherwise!

What about those that know about SOPA, but don't do anything about it.
They will realise what it really means, and we have more activists too then.

I think it would work best if they didn't give warning too. But that probably makes them vulnerable to lawsuits...

Either way. I want to see this happen!