Intellectual piracy legislation puts Net at crossroads
It had the feel of a collective lobotomy when Wikipedia blacked out on Wednesday. That may be stretching things, since I have never experienced the surgical separation of my prefrontal cortex.
Nonetheless, in the 10 years since Wikipedia was started with the ambitious agenda of democratizing knowledge, it has succeeded in becoming the go- to know- it- all of our time, the virtual brainiac of the information age. A day without Wikipedia was for me a day dumbed down.
Wikipedia is the instant solution to the daily search for nagging bits of trivia that hide in the fusty corners of our brains. It is the repository for the things we used to know, and a vast library of knowledge that we never could have hoped to accumulate on our own.
Wikipedia has changed the way I work and it’s hard to imagine going back. It’s my first line of research on any topic, from the difference between ale and lager to the composition and history of the Liberal party of Canada.
Wikipedia has become a trusted source, not to be used on its own, but in the language of journalists, “usually reliable” as a starting point.
Usually reliable because it’s not always right in every detail; I have spotted occasional errors in articles on subjects that I’m familiar with, but unlike the collective wisdom of the coffee shop, it usually links to more authoritative sources.
Wikipedia took its English version offline as part of a coordinated protest to call attention to two controversial pieces of anti- piracy legislation before the U. S. Congress, known as SOPA ( Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA ( Protect Intellectual Property Act).
Critics complain that both acts will severely curtail freedom of expression on the Internet. They say the legislation as crafted puts the onus on compilers such as Wikipedia, Youtube and Google to screen submissions and listings for potential copyrighted material, a task that would severely limit what they could post or allow to be posted. They already react to complaints when copyrighted work is posted without permission.
The legislation would also force U. S. Internet service providers to block foreign sites that were deemed to be carrying or potentially carrying pirated content.
In its first decade, Wikipedia grew from an unlikely idea to a repository of 20 million articles in 283 languages, with more than 3.8 million on the blacked- out English site.
I have these details because while the main site was shut down, a couple of back doors were left open. The app version stayed up, so you could get Wikipedia on a smart phone. You could also access articles in other languages. Google was happy to translate in that rough way it has.
Wikipedia has also moved into the news business, with real- time updates to articles of current interest. And for the technically minded, it offered a way to get around the blackout on the main page.
As a professional journalist, I should resent the part Wikipedia is playing in undermining the traditional news business, with more than 100,000 volunteers and no advertising.
Yet I love Wikipedia for the same reason that many academics hate it. It both celebrates and demystifies knowledge. It invites any of us all to challenge the experts, whether self- styled or professionally accredited. It promotes the notion that collaboration leads us closer to truth.
Wikipedia is a child of the Internet. It has grown and gained respect by trying with more or less success to maintain neutrality on all issues.
The protest on Wednesday didn’t change that policy, it explained. “Wikipedia’s articles are neutral, its existence is not. … Its existence depends on a free, open and uncensored Internet.”
When the fight over PIPA and SOPA are over, will Wikipedia be around to be able to record the outcome? I hope so.