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| New boss? |
Wikipedia and some other much used websites (including the 'the Cheezburger websites, which attract 16.5 million visitors a month to look at funny cat videos and photos') threatened to 'go dark' on Wednesday in protest at the proposed US SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), although I believe President Obama has effectively scuppered it by saying he will not give such an act his assent.
Regardless of thoughts of the merits or demerits of online piracy or of Wikipedia, I wonder what will be the public and politic reaction if protests such as this are in future extensively mobilised. They could have considerable impact, but what will the mass of the people think as they vainly click on the unavailable sites in their daily routines? Will it be much the same as the commuters turning up for non-existent trains for work after the unions have called strikes? Perhaps the lack of Wikipedia will most affect government officials as they strive to write their private and public briefing papers. Will frustrated governments condemn this new 'unaccountable' power and pass legislation requiring ballots of users, advance notification and all the other panoply of restrictions that organised labour, or, as some would see it, their undemocratically elected leaders, have been subjected to, at least in this country?
