{"id":2160,"date":"2012-01-21T05:14:20","date_gmt":"2012-01-21T09:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/sj\/?p=2160"},"modified":"2012-01-27T02:02:33","modified_gmt":"2012-01-27T06:02:33","slug":"13000-comments-1-post-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sj\/2012\/01\/21\/13000-comments-1-post-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"13000 comments 1 post, part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update<\/strong>: see also Clay Shirky’s brilliant talk explaining SOPA and PIPA<\/a>, and why they were drafted. <\/big><\/p>\n

More comments on the Wikimedia community blog<\/a>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I didn\u2019t even know about the proposed legislation by America until just now reading here about the blackout and I\u2019m sure that most people, including most Americans have no idea about it…\u00a0 I have been going to Wikipedia since I was little as a site that I could trust not to have an agenda. I have grown up with Wikipedia as a part of my life and I am grateful for your existence.\u00a0 – Sigrid Anderson<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. The comments show that Wiki has generated a considerable amount of uninformed hysteria about proposed legislation that is not going to be adopted\u00a0 – Bill Wood<\/em><\/li>\n
  3. You should blackout every language version. The whole world is against of this dumb law.\u00a0 – Jes\u00fas Manuel O.<\/em><\/li>\n
  4. I\u2019m an Australian man facing similar legislation.\u00a0 I have been hoping that Wikipedia, Google, and similar organizations would make their position known in the form of a black out protest, to say what my little voice can\u2019t get across\u00a0 – Uriah<\/em><\/li>\n
  5. \u201cIt\u2019s political, but it\u2019s not partisan politics.\u00a0 SOPA is not a left-right issue. It\u2019s a new media, old media issue. New media has every right to get political about its future. Congress should not be in the business of protecting one business model at the expense of another, especially when the new model is the only true source of growth in the nation\u2019s economy for the last 20 years.\u201d – Factoid (via Reddit)<\/em><\/li>\n
  6. SOPA in it\u2019s current form is scary, yet preventable, and I support Wikipedia for making a stand. – Brande Kramer<\/em><\/li>\n
  7. Oh\u2026no\u2026witnessing the gagging and chaining of our only remaining freedoms: healthy freedom of speech and self expression on the internet would surely break my heart!\u00a0 – Alejandro Bina<\/em><\/li>\n
  8. A word of advice for everyone, like myself, who will suffer the inconvenience of this black out:
    \nDon\u2019t Panic<\/strong>.\u00a0 – Rowdy<\/em><\/li>\n
  9. THANK YOU FOR STANDING FOR INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM.\u00a0 – Justin Felder<\/em><\/li>\n
  10. Working within an Indigenous community in Australia, it is clear to me that poverty begins and becomes generational, with lack of access to information.\u00a0 – Ron West<\/em><\/li>\n
  11. Wikipedia… is a source for great knowledge.
    \nWikipedia team is not an ordinary team.
    \nThe protest must be supported in a resounding tone of echoes.\u00a0\u00a0 – Karthik Yerramilly<\/cite><\/li>\n
  12. A G R E E !!!\u00a0 – George MacNabb, M.D.<\/cite><\/li>\n
  13. This message has brought me to tears, literally.\u00a0 – Carol<\/em><\/li>\n
  14. These bills restrict not just freedom of expression, but considerably worse, will constrain an individual\u2019s right to knowledge.\u00a0 – Aisha<\/em><\/li>\n
  15. America isn\u2019t the world. If members of the American parliament are planning on doing something in America, it\u2019s YOUR problem.\u00a0 – Thomas Marshall<\/em><\/li>\n
  16. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY TIME!?\u00a0 – Adam<\/em><\/li>\n
  17. I don\u2019t really see how protesting a restriction on the free flow of information by restricting the free flow of information is at all helpful. Aren\u2019t you just doing exactly what they want you to do?\u00a0 – jjs<\/em><\/li>\n
  18. AWESOME! The internet is a tool for the evolution of our entire species, not just another control mechanis…\u00a0 – Trevor Allen<\/em><\/li>\n
  19. about time someone takes action against SOPA and this nonsense!! YOU\u2019RE AWESOME WIKI!\u00a0 – brittany<\/em><\/li>\n
  20. Thumbs down to Wikipeida. What\u2019s wrong with you guys? I read the SOPA and I don\u2019t see in any way will harm free speech.\u00a0 SOPA is about IP and business, different stuff alright.\u00a0 – James<\/em><\/li>\n
  21. Wikipedia has created a permanent shift in human awareness, and has probably altered the very structure of our minds by abolishing \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d from out lives so many billions upon billions of times. Wikipedia going dark will hurt. It will be frightening, and I\u2019m going to hate it. But if they chose to go dark for a month in protest of such terrifyingly dangerous laws, they\u2019d still have my absolute support.\u00a0 – Ehren Turner<\/em><\/li>\n
  22. The balls (or ovaries) of the administrators are commendable. As much as it will hurt me if it does happen- I am aware it\u2019d hurt me more if it didn\u2019t\u00a0 – jUrk<\/em><\/li>\n
  23. como en mexico como en america latina y no me reservo al todo el mundo, nos sentimos indignados y ultrajados por esta tonta accion, que conlleba a lo que por muchos a\u00f1os idealistas han peleado y han muerto por ello. la libertad, la idea de controlarla de esta manera me parece arrogante y de mal gusto. – gerardo perez<\/cite><\/li>\n
  24. I love Wikipedia, but I think you\u2019re making a big mistake in opposing laws that restrain intellectual theft.\u00a0 – Hal Barwood<\/em><\/li>\n
  25. If some industries must rethink their economic models in the face of the fundamental changes the internet has afforded the larger world, then so be it. That is by far the lesser evil\u00a0 – Steven Burg<\/em><\/li>\n
  26. Yeah, I get it, but 24 hours, really. How is that a protest. The library closed for 2 days over the weekend every week\u2026big deal. I know your head is in the right place but really, man-up and do something that makes noise.\u00a0 – Mehnert<\/em><\/li>\n
  27. From Iran.
    \nIt is very disappointing to see what my people are trying to fight here is emerging in the U.S.
    \n…we can live one day without Wikipedia to make sure it remains there forever.\u00a0 – AgentTheGreat<\/em><\/li>\n
  28. I definitely concur Team Wikipedia. Do what you have to do. \u2018Nuff respect! \u00a0– Kush Barnes<\/em><\/li>\n
  29. <quotes Spiro Agnew><\/li>\n
  30. Here in South Africa the government is in the process of passing a secrecy bill, which will, in effect muzsle the media as well as free speech. I definately support the blackout. \u00a0– Walter Hutchison<\/em><\/li>\n
  31. I would also like to offer my country \u2013 South Africa \u2013 as the potential host if you need to move. \u00a0– Adam Brink<\/em><\/li>\n
  32. Do not disrupt Wikipedia to make a point. Shame on you. \u00a0– Kyaa<\/em><\/li>\n
  33. \u00a0dear wiki-world, i experience ms. gardner\u2019s statement and wiki community\u2019s mandate to be nuanced and reasoned\u2014neither overly interventionist\/hysterical nor frightened into inaction\u2014not making wiki (this gynormously birthed baby) an overly precious object, nor being so lax as to be w\/out any integrity. \u00a0– mazal<\/em><\/li>\n
  34. This is actually a very serious decision. In all its years of existance, i have never seen Wiki go down. Just yesterday, a national stock exchange was DDOSed and hence out of service. I have seen the PSN go down. I have seen gaming clients\u2019 networks go down. I have seen news clippings of \u201csuch and such site attacked and compromised\u201d. But never Wiki was attacked or down, because everyone accepts it to be a neutral ground, a safe no-nonsense ground, where everyone turned to for information, regardless of language.This is one of the unwritten rules of the internet.
    \nThis blackout just shows how serious this SOPA and PIPA problem is.
    \nI completely and unconditionally support Wikimedia in this. \u00a0 –jmd.akbar<\/em><\/li>\n
  35. Not only Wikipedia, but also the structure of Wikipedia is quite dependant on the freedom of expression on the [W]eb. Even if wikipedia itself is not blocked in any way, we would still feel the backlash if other websites with legitimate information are blocked… badly defined laws with a broad spectrum such as these tend to be abused for purposes they were not (or perhaps were) intended for. \u00a0– Excirial<\/em><\/li>\n
  36. \u201cWe want people to trust Wikipedia, not worry that it is trying to propagandize them.\u201d But then just a few lines down in the same letter it says… \u201cI have increasingly begun to think of Wikipedia\u2019s public voice, and the goodwill people have for Wikipedia, as a resource that wants to be used for the benefit of the public.\u201d So they don\u2019t want people to think they are engaging propaganda, but… want to use the \u201cvoice\u201d of Wikipedia to influence public policy? …I imagine I will support many\/all of the positions they would support, but I dislike the idea of eroding Wikipedia\u2019s neutrality. \u00a0– Dan<\/em><\/li>\n
  37. If I start replicating Wikipedia pages on a gigantic website of my own, for my own purposes such as to put ads on them generating revenue for myself, you wouldn\u2019t like that would you? Oh, but by your standard, wouldn\u2019t that be \u201cfreedom of expression\u201d?\u00a0I think you need to explain your position a lot better than you have done. \u00a0–\u00a0jrbt2647<\/cite><\/li>\n
  38. I think we can cope without Wikipedia for 24 hours if it is for something like this. We should not be bullied.<\/li>\n
  39. Today on MLK day! I\u2019m reminded it\u2019s my duty to continuously keep watch over and non-violently fight for our civil rights. Thank you, Wikipedia! \u00a0–\u00a0Maggie Evan<\/em><\/li>\n
  40. piracy… is a very real economic threat to the creative community. However, the methods by which these acts combat it are heavy-handed and overreaching; like fighting cancer with grenades. I am an artist who is opposed to piracy, and I applaud Wikipedia for this stand.<\/li>\n
  41. \u201cAlthough Wikipedia\u2019s articles are neutral, its existence is not\u201d, the statement is what strongly influenced on me. Thank you, all Wikipedians, for letting them know what is the right thing to do! \u00a0– Jerryz Tschin<\/em><\/li>\n
  42. Doing a blackout to protest against censorship is like shooting random people in the street to protest against the death penalty. \u00a0–\u00a0Bj\u00f6rn<\/cite><\/li>\n
  43. Here in New Zealand we have a similar law. The legislation here means that anyone even suspected of disobeying the current piracy laws can have their internet access withdrawn at the ISP level. No burden of proof is required, just a certain number of unsubstantiated complaints from a copywrite holder. I understand and support the protest and hope that everyone can see the requirement to speak out now before things get any worse. \u00a0– Matt<\/em><\/li>\n
  44. No argument is available why it helps or is good for media companies to not have protection. Who cares anyway, it won\u2019t hurt Wikipedia. Or does Wikipedia now plan to host copyright content.<\/li>\n
  45. I agree that the blackout is a good idea, but it is a shame that in its statement, Wikipedia\/Wikimedia did not also make a strong statement to distance themselves from online piracy. This would have clearly confirmed that, while we do not condone online piracy, that we do want preservation of online freedom. \u00a0– Daeld<\/em><\/li>\n
  46. I fear a world in which someone might be sued for humming a tune or quoting a line from a movie!<\/li>\n
  47. The internet… from the very beginning has always seemed to me like a world mind. From my first log on so many years ago I was amazed at the open sharing on so many levels that was available. Year by year it has matured, with more reliable sources of information becoming available… a rich depth of knowledge, experience, and opinions: brilliant and beautiful bits… The entire festival of words, pictures, history, music, and vidography is like one enormous love poem to ourselves… The idea that we would allow anyone to tamper with this or take it from us without a fight is unconscionable.I find the current trend in this legislation to be highly suspect. I think it has much more to do with inserting fingers of control which can then be tightened into an iron grip than it does with the putative problem of piracy. As someone who is trying to make her living as a writer I rely on Wikipedia among other things as resources but I think I can suck it up for one day. \u00a0–\u00a0Marilyn Melnicoe<\/em><\/li>\n
  48. It is not advocacy to fight for your survival. Everyone is affected by this legislation, within and outside the US… The WWW is at risk of being \u2018enclosed\u2019 (removed from shared public ownership)… vested interests assert ownership of large parts [and] remove them from shared possession. We\u2019ve seen this with land, with music, with software (leading to the need for CopyLeft) and now the right to index knowledge… It is certainly about piracy \u2013 the theft of public property for personal gain. – Loftwork<\/em><\/li>\n
  49. I fully support this shutdown. SOPA, PIPA and NDAA… inflict unjust impediments on freedom of the common person, two online and one in \u201creal\u201d life… justified by exaggerated causes that can\u2019t be fought by that legislation<\/li>\n
  50. This is an act NOT of politics, but of self-preservation. Please make sure that, when the site comes back up, there is another banner explaining why it was down, for those who missed this message. – LTL<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Update: see also Clay Shirky’s brilliant talk explaining SOPA and PIPA, and why they were drafted. More comments on the Wikimedia community blog: I didn\u2019t even know about the proposed legislation by America until just now reading here about the blackout and I\u2019m sure that most people, including most Americans have no idea about it…\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1202,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[206,1657,211,209,1],"tags":[1075,60455,56542,78845],"class_list":["post-2160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-la-mod","category-blogroll","category-international","category-popular-demand","category-uncategorized","tag-commentary","tag-pipa","tag-sopa","tag-wikipedia"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iVvB-yQ","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1202"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2160"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2171,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2160\/revisions\/2171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}