The Day the Web Went Black

Almost all of us are aware of the stance taken by the Indian Govt. against websites such as Google, Facebook, and Orkut among others, and popular opinion is against any move at curbing the freedom of the web. However, not many in India were aware about SOPA & PIPA^ until the 'wikipedia blackout' started since midnight (EST), Jan 18, 2012.

The 'Blackout' is surely an interesting move by Wikipedia and is a sure shot way of communicating Wikipedia's view point! However, this post is not about discussing the pros and cons of SOPA and PIPA but the implications of a permanent blackout of Wikipedia (assuming no other free online encyclopedia would pop up)..

Negative

The first thing that popped up in the minds of the 'students' i spoke too was: "OMG! How are we going to do our assignments!" ..............And it's easy to understand their sentiments. Daily, millions of students browse the web for information and most of them get it from Wikipedia. It's the ultimate source of information and we have become so used to this 'free' source that we would be quite significantly impaired by its loss.

The second thing, and perhaps the more important one, that strikes people's mind is that they'll be deprived of their right to freedom of expression!! Wikipedia and similar sites may well be blocked by Internet service providers once the laws (SOPA & PIPA) on account of piracy and IP right violations! And that too for no fault of their's since it is an open platform that anyone can edit, thus content could be 'bad' or 'illegal' and thus, the whole website would be blocked (That's what the these laws state!)

Positive

However, some bright minds pointed out that it would lead to more demand for books and an increased crowd at libraries!

It would also make the 'students' learn more and retain the learning for a longer period of time if they started searching the books instead of blatantly copying from the net.

It'll be good for the 'Music & Media' Industry....

Anyways..the important point for you to delve your mind on is the 'Impact of a permanent blackout of Wikipedia' on anyone and everyone!