Today Wednesday 18th January, websites such as Google, Wikipedia and Craigslist took a stand against the Governments plan to impose two bills. The Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect Intellectual Property Act

Google was the first one I spotted as I aimed to research a new topic.

Craigslist was the next as my search for both an apartment and job was screeched to a grinding halt.

I applauded their bold stand, but was left thinking, what would the web be without these sites? How could we research information without Google?
The Internet has changed the way we learn, the way we communicate, and the way we grow. America is well known for its “freedom of speech” so in a land where that’s a golden rule, how can they approve such censorship?
Wikipedia is the largest web based encyclopedia with contributors all over the world collating information on every topic imaginable. Imagine a world where you’re ability to learn and expand your mind is controlled by the government.

For more information on the threat level of such bills please visit Why Wired Censored the Internet
Since the protest took place today, the decision makers have put a hold on the proposed bills. Content makers Google and Wikipedia amongst other big web site stands have impacted what was to be a simple bill to impose.
For now they are back tracking under ‘not enough information’ and that the bills need to be more thought out. They said that foreign piracy is still a big problem issues raised by these large websites will need to be addressed before anything is made finite.