Wikipedia, Moveon.org, user-submitted news site Reddit, the blog Boing Boing and the Cheezburger network of comedy sites plan to participate in a blackout to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) bills.
The measures are widely backed by the film and music industries and are aimed at halting sales of pirated products abroad.
The all-day protest is expected to block or detour tens of millions of people.
Google, Facebook and Twitter, all of whom oppose SOPA, are not participating in the blackout but have expressed their displeasure. In a letter to U.S. senators and House members, they said they “cannot support these bills as written and ask that you consider more targeted ways to combat foreign ‘rogue’ websites dedicated to copyright infringement and trademark counterfeiting.”
Wikipedia CEO Jimmy Wales was more blunt in a tweet: “I hope Wikipedia 1/8users 3/8 will melt phone systems” of politicians who are in favor of SOPA.
“A black screen is alarming,” Ben Huh, CEO of Cheezburger, one of scores of sites that plan digital roadblocks that redirect consumers to another screen. (Users can opt out of the roadblock, and visit the site.)
For many sites, this is a preferable option because they cannot afford to shut down and upset users.
“It’s Hollywood against the tech world, in effect,” James Barraford, who writes about social media for MediaTapper.com told USA Today.
Both congressional bills have widespread support from content owners, including Hollywood and music studios, concerned that online piracy damages their businesses and technology giants say the bills amount to censorship.
In apparent response to the rising backlash, congressional backers of the bills have pulled out the DNS requirements. The moves are seen as a way to appease tech companies.
Information from USA Today contributed to this report.