To raise awareness about the pending SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) in the United States which would give law enforcement unprecedented powers to crack down on Internet web sites and providers, Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales asked his community for their thoughts (and votes) on making Wikipedia go dark as a protest.
The ensuing debate is quite interesting with lots asking questions about what Wikipedia is and what its purpose is – some claiming that Wikipedia’s culture of “neutrality” must extend beyond the site’s content while others point out that the very concept of an open, free encyclopedia that is accessible to anyone is a pretty radical political statement in and of itself.