Internet Blackout Begins in Protest of SOPA and PIPA

If you have been trying to find the most accurate answer on Wikipedia's English site about who won the Oscar for "Best Leading Lady" at the 1980 Academy Award this morning, nine times out of 10 you have realized the site isn't currently working. How about how many there are in the United States? 

Looking for an apartment for rent in the on Craigslist today? You will also find that the site isn't working, and this is all because of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and Protect I-P Act (PIPA).

The bills would help in reduction of the illegal sharing of music and movies and provide protections for movie studios and record labels if passed, according to an ABC News article.

But many in the online world oppose SOPA and PIPA, known as House Resolution 3261and Senate Bill 968 respectively, and say that those legislators that introduced them aren't even connected to or literate about the Internet world.

"The most controversial provision is in the House bill ... to 'blacklist' sites that are alleged to distribute pirated content," The Associated Press writes. "That would essentially cut off portions of the Internet to all U.S. users." 

Wikipedia and Reddit will black out their pages so visitors will see only information about SOPA and PIPA.

Reuters reports that of the biggest tech sites that have voiced opposition to the legislation, only Google is planning any type of change to its site Wednesday. It too will have information about the bills, although users will still be able to conduct Google searches.

Neither Patch nor its parent company, AOL, is participating in the blackout.

"As written, we cannot support the bills," said Tekedra N. Mawakana, AOL's Senior Vice President of Public Policy. "We believe an open Internet is critical for innovation, job creation, and the sustained growth of Internet businesses.

"We are in the process of working directly with lawmakers to improve the bills."