A Gallery Of The SOPA Blackout Protest Screens.

from the mr-smith-takes-over-the-internet dept

Wed, Jan 18th 2012 7:56pm — Dennis Yang

Needless to say, there's a pretty big protest going on right now against SOPA, with many sites either shuttering fully or making obvious changes in support of the protests. Leading the charge are Wikipedia, Reddit and Google. Sites like SOPA STRIKE and SOPA Blackout disseminated code to allow sites to easily join the blackout, but many sites have actually decided to take the time to tailor their protests for their own sites, which is amazing to see. It is this creative energy that drives the Internet and makes it what it is (for better or worse), and it is this very energy that legislation like SOPA and PIPA threaten to extinguish.

I've created a gallery of SOPA blackout screencaps, but here are some of my favorite takes on the protest today:

Reddit's blackout is probably the most complete; all URLs, including deep links, on Reddit lead to the blackout page, which is very impressive for such a largely trafficked site. For Redditor's going through Reddit-withdrawal today, they feature a handy countdown timer on their blackout page.

Wikipedia's blackout encompasses all of the English site, and as evidenced by @herpderpedia (who is collecting various angry Tweets about the Wikipedia blackout), it is certainly causing some frustration (and hopefully some awareness). That said, Wikipedia's blackout is very, very, very easy to thwart (just hit the ESC key before the page fully loads), so there's an easy escape valve for those that are in dire need of its content. In that same vein, Craigslist's full blackout also has a release valve that gracefully loads after a few seconds.

Google promised that it would do "something," and followed suit with a Google Doodle, essentially blacking out its logo in protest. Several sites followed suit, including Hacker News, 4chan's /b/ (link to a SFW screenshot), and TwitPic.

Taking the "censor-style" protest to the next level are Wired's blackout and Daily Kos' blackout. Wired's coders decided to mark up the page itself with black censor boxes, so that the page looks like it's been through the hands of some very aggressive government censors. Very clever from the design-minded folks over at Wired.

Elegant as always, xkcd's blackout offers the simple message, "[don't censor the web]".

And, the most amusing blackout of the day comes from McSweeney's (of course), who has handily replaced its site today with "A DAY’S WORTH OF FACTS TO GET YOU THROUGH WIKIPEDIA’S 24-HOUR BLACKOUT."

Check out the full gallery here, and let me know if there are any awesome blackout implementations that I've missed.

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Filed Under: blackout, censorship, copyright, google, pipa, protect ip, reddit, sopa, wikipedia, wired

75 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:15pm

Wikipedia is the one that brought this home no contest
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fogbugzd (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:16pm

The best story I heard about was a high school teacher who yesterday announced they would have a test today, and the test would be like an open book test. However, instead of their books students could use anything they found on Wikipedia.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:17pm

TheOatmeal.com
Wikipedia certainly got the most attention, but most creative I think is this one...

http://theoatmeal.com/
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:27pm

Even Xnxx . com is protesting
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Mike C. (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:31pm

Simply put yet most accurate...
... at least in my opinion.

http://survivingtheworld.net/sopa.html
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:36pm

Re:
Last night after the Wikipedia blackout started I found this Twitter search...

https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/wtf%20wikipedia

Much of it is both sad and funny at the same time. It's amazing how clueless many of the kids are these days, but anyways, it started out with a bunch of kids bitching about essays they had due today and they couldn't copy and paste their homework now because of the blackout (many of them still seem think it's gone forever) amongst them was a teacher who Tweeted that he was watching to see if any of his students would be among them.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:39pm

Reddit appears to be doing a geographical ban, as it still works fine for people outside the US, and has all day.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:40pm

adult entertainment
www.xvideos.com which is an awesome source for adult entertainment has also blocked their web page. why can't the rest of the entertainment industry get the clue and leave the net alone
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:40pm

adult entertainment
www.xvideos.com which is an awesome source for adult entertainment has also blocked their web page. why can't the rest of the entertainment industry get the clue and leave the net alone
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Jay (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:45pm

LA Times
LA Times has some good ones
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Yoshord, 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:51pm

http://thedailywtf.com/
http://thedailywtf.com/ had a satirical "Support The Daily WTF in Supporting the Support SOPA Movement" post that I found funny. They also whited out their site if you went there via the DNS (http://thedailywtf.com/), but allowed normal operation if you went via IP address (http://74.50.110.120/), since the point of the post was about how SOPA and PIPA aren't about infringement, they are about helping dismantle the dnagerous and confusing Domain Name System.
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Jeff, 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:53pm

My school, Syracuse University's School of Information Studies. Scott Bernard, an associate professor of practice in the school, is the federal chief enterprise architect in the Executive Office of President Obama

http://ischool.syr.edu/temp/sopa/index.html
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:58pm

http://keepthewebopen.com/ check it out the OPEN act
[ link to this | view in thread ]
jacob, 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:59pm

theoatmeal.com has a great blackout page
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:00pm

The UK's Open Rights Group had a good one - as you'd expect from online rights campaigners.

www.openrightsgroup.org
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:06pm

Re: Re:
Yeah, there's also this:
https://twitter.com/#!/herpderpedia
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:06pm

Of course, as soon as I posted the openrightsgroup link - the site returned....
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:09pm

short and sweet

http://www.razerzone.com/sopa
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:16pm

Ironic, today is the only day any of these sites will ever be blocked out, because neither pipa or sopa would ever be able to do such a thing.

But facts seem to be a trivial matter today.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:21pm

Re: Re: Re:
And also this...
https://twitter.com/WikipediaWTF
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Josh in CharlotteNC (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:30pm

Re:
So if shutting down websites isn't the the reason for SOPA and PIPA, then what is it?

Please be specific, and point out the language in the bill that makes it impossible for those bills to be abused and shut down even a single legitimate site.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Nick, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:34pm

Re: http://thedailywtf.com/
Nuts, I was going to bring them up. I second thedailywtf.com post.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:46pm

dont feed the troll.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
ashridah, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:50pm

Co-ordinated webcomic sopa protests
Questionable Content, Girls With Slingshots and Something*Positive all did a co-ordinated anti-SOPA awareness comic today as well, although not a complete blackout:

http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2103
http://www.girlswithslingshots. com/comic/gws-1313/
http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp01182012.shtml
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Ben, 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:09pm

www.fark.com did a white out, and drew has been getting drunk green lighting everything.

http://nedroid.com/2012/01/sopa-and-salad/ had a great censored comic

http://www.smbc-comics.com/ took itself down.

oh and it wasn't /b/ on 4chan, the entire site had all text blacked out in every post over all their boards.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:16pm

Re: Co-ordinated webcomic sopa protests
I preferred the approach taken by dominic-deegan, xkcd, and to a lesser extent Garfield minus Garfield, even if they did deprive me of my comics for the day. I have to say the red anti-SOPA on the majority of the web comics was... disconcerting considering most went with blacks and grays, even TGWTG went with dark colors.
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Jay (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:16pm

TWIT actually appeared in Black and White
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:30pm

Re: Re:
You're asking me to prove a negative?

There's nothing in either one of those bills that could cause a court to declare wikipedia a "rogue site".

That's absurd.

Taking such an intellectually dishonest approach when debating piracy legislation only guarantees defeat for your position as the ultimate outcome.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:56pm

Re: Re: Re:
Now it is my turn to say it.

Of course these people can't point to text in the law that would protect free speech or Wikipedia because it is not there, it was purposely worded to make room so these unscrupulous people can get to any website on the internet in one way or another.

That is why nobody wants to clarify the language in those bills, that is why every amendment trying to do so was rejected.

This is a fight against evil(copyright) vs good(freedom).

That monopoly is threatening democracy now, it is time to end it.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 11:18pm

Re: Re: Co-ordinated webcomic sopa protests
xkcd actually has a hidden message. Try looking at it with your monitor tilted.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
BeeAitch (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 11:38pm

Cue the trolls in 1...2...3...

...wait, WHERE ARE THE TROLLS?

Here trolly, trolly, trolly...

...WHERE ARE YOU???
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2012 @ 12:24am

Re:
Best quote:

"Wikipedia.org joins Foxnews.com in providing no information"
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2012 @ 1:16am

Re: Re: Re:
>You're asking me to prove a negative?

What's wrong with that? Defendants in IP suits are always asked to prove neagtives...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2012 @ 1:55am

Re:
There's one up there you missed.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Ben (profile), 19 Jan 2012 @ 2:06am

Re: TheOatmeal.com
Permalink:

http://theoatmeal.com/sopa
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PRK (profile), 19 Jan 2012 @ 2:41am

screenshots.com
There are other sites (not the best but a collection) at screenshots.com. These will be kept for historical purposes as that is what the site does - historical static images of the home page of each domain name.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2012 @ 2:53am

I loved this: http://www.regretsy.com/strike/

The only missing part is a good link with info, yet it's so personal and detailed that I loved it anyway.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2012 @ 3:00am

Also questionable content (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2103) and amazing super powers (I missed that one, but the message is in the last comic).
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Shine, 19 Jan 2012 @ 3:40am

The Oatmeal
http://theoatmeal.com/sopa
[ link to this | view in thread ]
fairuse (profile), 19 Jan 2012 @ 3:48am

DarkWikipedia - iMac's Dictionary Action
I leave the iMac's dictionary open because it is so handy, it has; Wikipedia, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, New Oxford Dictionary, and Apple Dictionary. Earlier in the day on January 18, 2012, I wondered how not-internet-browser utilities (app) handled Wikipedia gone dark. The answer in this case is quite well.

I typed in a few words and sure as hell the dictionary had no Wikipedia results. What started out as a quick look-see turned into an eleven minute video. At this time it has a silence audio track -- waiting on me or someone to fit a mashup to it. The video and a note about it is here.

http://hightechcat.posterous.com/darkwikipedia-if-sopa-is-made-law-it-would-hu

Watch the first 2:30 minutes and skip to 9:20 minute mark if in a hurry. You should notice Wikipedia has something to say even when it has gone dark.
..
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Cloksin (profile), 19 Jan 2012 @ 4:12am

Hackaday
hackaday.com had this up on their site all day yesterday.

http://hackaday.com/2012/01/18/stop-the-internet-blacklist-legislation/
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Yoshord, 19 Jan 2012 @ 4:44am

mspaintadventures
MSpaint adventures has its regularly scheduled comic, but the last page of the update, http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=006385, after the screen fades to black it redirects to one of the stock blackout pages, so the page itself isn't that interesting but the method kinda was.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
xenomancer (profile), 19 Jan 2012 @ 4:53am

Rejected...
You missed mine. I made a plugin called CENSOR ME. The plugin demo is still up though. And its on the WordPress plugin registry. It was installed on a few hundred sites. Last I checked the demo site had about 700 unique visitors, most of whom visited yesterday.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2012 @ 6:06am

Today's comic: http://abstrusegoose.com/428
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2012 @ 6:09am

Re:
Incidentally, you forgot to call all these non-SOPA supporters filthy pirates.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Josh in CharlotteNC (profile), 19 Jan 2012 @ 6:13am

Re: Re: Re:
You're asking me to prove a negative?

No, I'm not asking you to prove a negative. I'm asking you to point out the specific language in the bill that clearly defines what a rogue site is, and as long as the sites above do not meet the definition, your point would be valid. For example, there could be a part that says any site that responds to legal DMCA notices are exempt from all of the actions in the bill, and therefore, a site such as Wikipedia that does could not be targeted.

One of us is being intellectually dishonest. News flash: It isn't me.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2012 @ 7:34am

Re:
:P
[ link to this | view in thread ]
James Hunt, 19 Jan 2012 @ 12:44pm

More Government...NOT NEEDED!!!!!!!!
I think that everything in our lives has been given away to some kind of government control. If the government gets a toe hold on the internet then I guess I'll have to give it up. Everything the government has touched in anyway, it has managed to screw it up.
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Kage, 19 Jan 2012 @ 4:05pm

You forgot the best one
Seizure-inspired: http://www.hackthissite.org/pages/info/censor
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The Luke Witnesser, 20 Jan 2012 @ 4:56am

Here lies the truth about SOPA/PIPA that even TechDirt has yet to report: what MPAA, RIAA, and Hollywood execs do not want you to see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJIuYgIvKsc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzS5rSvZXe8

The truth behind why these big companies responsible for SOPA and PIPA are also responsible for piracy itself is far more insidious than even their outmoded business model.

Hint: can you say, do as I say so I can crush you under heel?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Norbert Lukacsi (profile), 28 Feb 2012 @ 3:54am

Sopa and Pipa
We have posted an article here http://blog.netscanhosting.com/2012/01/11/sopa/ for UK website owners, who may like to know how it will affect them hosting their sites in the U.S.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
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