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The website's page on Wednesday, as seen by millions worldwide (Photo: Wikipedia)

Wikipedia blackout targets US anti-piracy laws

Online encyclopaedia Wikipedia on Wednesday (18 January) triggered a 24-hour blackout of its English language site in protest against anti-piracy legislation currently under discussion in the US Congress.

Wikipedia - which attracts over 25 million visitors per day to its site - said the decision to go off-line was taken in response to the Stop Anti-Piracy Act (Sopa) and Protect IP (Pipa), two bills aimed at tackling illegal downloads and file-sharing.

Critics of Sopa allege that t...

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Author Bio

Benjamin Fox is a seasoned reporter and editor, previously working for fellow Brussels publication Euractiv. His reporting has also been published in the Guardian, the East African, Euractiv, Private Eye and Africa Confidential, among others. He heads up the AU-EU section at EUobserver, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The website's page on Wednesday, as seen by millions worldwide (Photo: Wikipedia)

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Author Bio

Benjamin Fox is a seasoned reporter and editor, previously working for fellow Brussels publication Euractiv. His reporting has also been published in the Guardian, the East African, Euractiv, Private Eye and Africa Confidential, among others. He heads up the AU-EU section at EUobserver, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

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