14 DAY TRIAL // Internet blackouts have become quite common with all the recently-proposed pieces of legislation that pose a threat to privacy and civil liberties. Now that the controversial Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) has passed the US House of Representatives, Anonymous hackers have announced another blackout.
According to a video statement published by the hacktivists, the Internet blackout will take place on April 22, 2013.
“This bill would allow major internet entities such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google to voluntarily share your personal information with the U.S. Government. This will not only effect users in the United States, but also anyone with an account with these companies,” the hacker movement said.
“This upcoming Monday, April the 22nd, we invite you to join Anonymous in a internet blackout. We encourage all web developers and website owners to go dark on this date. Display a message as to why you are going dark, and encourage others to do the same,” they added.
Such protests have been quite effective in the past, especially when major websites took part, such as in the case of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). It remains to be seen if this time they’ll have the same effect.