I have decided to blank out this site tomorrow as part of the protest against SOPA and PIPA. If you want to do the same and use WordPress, I have given details on how to do this on my technical blog.
Why am I doing this on a religious blog? The reason is that the SOPA and PIPA rules will allow anyone to get an American court order to take down a site for copyright violation, even if that violation is in a comment left by someone else. This means they can remove any .com or .org or other non-national address from the internet, leaving people in the rest of the world with no recourse unless they can afford to go to America and appeal the decision. They can also force search engines not to list sites, and service based in the US like WordPress to remove sites. Since contesting this wll cost money, it is quite likely that most actions will be unopposed.
In the past religious groups have used copyright law for monetary gain, to keep secrets, suppress splinter groups, and most worryingly to avoid criticism and debate. With SOPA in force if someone didn’t like a comment on a blog they could apply for the site removal. Very possibly the first a blogger would know about it is when the blog disappeared. If the blogger did get any notice it could well be a message saying “Turn up in a court in New York, Honolulu, or Anchorage if you want to object”.
I will blank this site out tomorrow before I go to work and enable it again at 20:00 gmt. I would urge other bloggers to do the same or at least put a notice up.
Edit: As others pointed out WordPress provided its own blanking option. Since I had already posted the times at which I would block and unblock my website I decided to use my own.
Western Hindu 
I will be doing the same.
Ditto! Thank you for the code.
Also, may I post a link to this entry in my own blog? You explain the issue very well, and I’d like people to read your summary and maybe join in the blackout too.
Yes of course you can!
Hey Tandav, Tah,
does this mean they can close down my blog in india!!!
How can Americans take unilateral decision?
Linked to your post, thank you…
…and best of all, it turns out that WordPress is in on the protest! If you go to your Dashboard, click “Settings” and then click “Protest SOPA/PIPA,” WordPress will black your site out for you. 😀
THANKS I WAS TRYING HARD WITH ALL THOSE CUT COPY PASTE BUT COULDNT BLACK.LOL
Thanks,
Since I had already posted the times of my 12 hour blackout I used my blocker anyway.
Tandava, I’d also like to quote you. I cannot figure out how to blackout on Blogger (I’ve tried; near disasters), so instead I am making a statement of support and using my space to educate people about the Blackout. Can I quote your statement above? You do explain it very well.
Yes, of course you can.
My whole blog is under the Creative Commons license so anyone can use it for non-commercial purposes if they link back to here.,
Very scary. What is it all about? Is it for tomorrow morning only? Tandava kindly give more information on it. What is SOPA and PIPA? How could it affect those living outside US? Thanks for the information.
Dr Sundrania, here’s a link to a BBC article that explains the situation in full w/ an eye to those outside the USA: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16596577
We are in protest to save facebook,google and yahoo. Indian government is upto censor them to avenge recent support to anti corruption movement through fb.
Great Work. SOPA will be a horrible action to move forward.
If it is to protest against this current Govt in India against corruption exposure, I support your move to blackout your site. Problem is that the Western Govts are in favour of this corrupt UPA headed by controversial lady, Ms Sonia Gandhi.