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Wikipedia administrators confirmed this decision Monday afternoon (PST) in a public statement:
http://bit.ly/yc3d2S
The free online encyclopedia developed by tens of thousands of volunteers from all over the world over the last 11 years has created millions of articles containing billions of facts, referenced to hundreds of thousands of sources from around the world, and grown to be one of the most frequently accessed websites in the world.
Over the course of 72 hours, over 1800 Wikipedians joined together to discuss proposed actions that the community might wish to take against SOPA and PIPA, clamed to be by far the largest level of participation in a community discussion ever seen on Wikipedia, illustrating the level of concern that Wikipedians feel about this proposed legislation. The overwhelming majority of participants support community action to encourage greater public action in response to these two bills. Of the proposals considered by Wikipedians, those that would result in a "blackout" of the English Wikipedia, in concert with similar blackouts on other websites opposed to SOPA and PIPA, received the strongest support.
“Today Wikipedians from around the world have spoken about their opposition to this destructive legislation," said Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia. "This is an extraordinary action for our community to take - and while we regret having to prevent the world from having access to Wikipedia for even a second, we simply cannot ignore the fact that SOPA and PIPA endanger free speech both in the United States and abroad, and set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world."
Wikipedia is urging its readers to make their voices heard. If you live in the United States, to find your elected representative in Washington ( https://www.eff.org/sopacall ). If you live outside the United States, to contact your State Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs or similar branch of government. Tell them you oppose SOPA and PIPA, and want the internet to remain open and free.
The black out of the English-language Wikipedia for 24 hours, worldwide will begin at 05:00 UTC on Wednesday, January 18.
This will be the first time the English Wikipedia has ever staged a public protest of this nature, and spokespersons say it’s a decision that wasn’t lightly made. Here’s how it’s been described by the three Wikipedia administrators who formally facilitated the community’s discussion. From the public statement, signed by User:NuclearWarfare, User:Risker and User:Billinghurst:
"It is the opinion of the English Wikipedia community that both of these bills, if passed, would be devastating to the free and open web."
According to Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Sue Gardner, the foundation supports everyone’s right to freedom of thought and freedom of expression, and thinks everyone should have access to educational material on a wide range of subjects, even if they can’t pay for it.
"We believe in a free and open Internet where information can be shared without impediment, says Ms. Gardner in a separate statement. "We believe that new proposed laws like SOPA - and PIPA, and other similar laws under discussion inside and outside the United States - don’t advance the interests of the general public. You can read a very good list of reasons to oppose SOPA and PIPA here, from the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
http://bit.ly/wnmaxS
Why this action now, when some American legislators appear to be in tactical retreat on SOPA?
"The reality," says Ms. Gardner. "is that we don’t think SOPA is going away, and PIPA is still quite active. Moreover, SOPA and PIPA are just indicators of a much broader problem. All around the world, we're seeing the development of legislation intended to fight online piracy, and regulate the Internet in other ways, that hurt online freedoms. Our concern extends beyond SOPA and PIPA: they are just part of the problem. We want the Internet to remain free and open, everywhere, for everyone.... On January 18, we hope you’ll agree with us, and will do what you can to make your own voice heard."
[Editor's Note: Bravo Wikipedia for taking this principled stand!]
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