Wikipedia is protesting the SOPA and PIPA bills, two very ugly pieces of legislation that threaten the wellbeing of the internet, globally. That's all fine and dandy, but a lot of people would still like to access the site and may rely on it for plenty of things that can't wait for a full day.
Luckily, even the slightly-determined have many options for accessing the site as they always do.
Disable JavaScript / NoScript
Wikipedia's blackout page is a simple overlay that is loaded on top of the regular page. This is done via JavaScript. Disabling JavaScript in your browser, via any means, will ensure that the blackout page is never loaded, but the regular page is.
Most browsers have the ability to disable JavaScript globally. A simpler solution is to install the
NoScript browser extension, or any of the similar ones, for Firefox or
Chrome and simply disallow JavaScript on Wikipedia.org.
Install a userscript or browser extension
If you still want JavaScript on Wikipedia, you can install any of the userscripts, like
this one, that remove the blackout, but still enable you to access JavaScript-powered Wikipedia features, such as search suggestions. Google Chrome supports userscripts by default, but you need the Greasemonkey add-on for Firefox.
Yet another option is to install a browser addon that removes the Wikipedia blackout. There are several for Google Chrome, for
example.
Google Cache or the Internet Archive
Finally, if none of these options appeals to you, there's always Google Cache. Simply search for the topic that interests you, but instead of clicking on the Wikipedia link in the search results, click on the arrow to the right then select the "Cached" link. Another similar option is to use the Internet Archive and search for past
copies of the Wikipedia articles you need, though those copies may be out of date.
The mobile site still works
The
mobile version of Wikipedia is not affected by the blackout and works as usual.
Grab a screenshot real quick
A more eccentric solution is to simply take a screenshot of the Wikipedia page before the blackout page is loaded on top of it.
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