The internet is a dark place right now. If you and a friend are fighting over whether or not Scarlett Johansson was in “Home Alone 3″, you might run into trouble if you Wiki the answer – and yes, she was.  Sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, and Craig’s List have turned out the lights on their patron, all in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act.

The issues surrounding SOPA and PIPA are far greater than settling your petty arguments. The very structure of the internet is threatened by these well-intentioned, but poorly executed bills. Read what these sites have to say, and form your own opinion on the controversy, here.

For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia. – Wikipedia

Dear reddit,

Today, for 12 hours, reddit.com goes dark to raise awareness of two bills in congress: H.R.3261 “Stop Online Piracy Act” and S.968 “PROTECT IP”, which could radically change the landscape of the Internet. These bills provide overly broad mechanisms for enforcement of copyright which would restrict innovation and threaten the existence of websites with user-submitted content, such as reddit.

Please take today as a day of focus and action to learn about these destructive bills and do what you can to prevent them from becoming reality. – Reddit

Imagine a world without craigslist, Wikipedia, Google, [your favorite sites here]…News Corp, RIAA, MPAA, Nike, Sony, Comcast, VISA & others want to make that world your reality.80 Members of Congress are in their sway, 30 against, the rest undecided or undeclared. – Craig’s List

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