[caption id="attachment_10211" align="alignright" width="224" caption="Rep. Chris Gibson is not supporting SOPA/PIPA. Photo by Tom Roe at Chatham Middle School."][/caption]Anyone trying to pull up a Wikipedia entry on Wed., Jan. 18, faced a blacked-out page reading "Imagine a world without free knowledge." The site is one of many that shut down to protest two pieces of proposed legislation before congress: The House’s Stop Online Piracy Act and the Senate’s Protect IP (intellectual property) Act (SOPA/PIPA). They were designed to attack the problem of foreign Web sites that sell pirated or counterfeit goods, but tech companies see the laws as a dangerous overreach that would add burdensome costs and new rules threatening the free exchange of ideas and information on the Internet. Locally, both New York Senators, Democrats Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, support the legislation, while Republican Chris Gibson of Kinderhook, gave WGXC this statement:

"The Congressman certainly recognizes that online piracy is a significant issue, and one that needs to be addressed. That being said, as SOPA is currently proposed, he believes there are valid concerns. One of the hallmarks of the Internet has been its relative freedom from regulation, and that is something which needs to be preserved. The legislation in the House is currently at the Committee level (on a committee Congressman Gibson is not on) and has yet to be finalized - thus, before making a final decision, we'll be carefully reviewing what amendments and changes are made. But, if the bill was considered as proposed today, he would vote no."

ArsTechnica reports 13 U.S. Senators announced their opposition to the bill on Wednesday, Jan. 18, and four co-sponsors of either the House or Senate bills pulled their names off the legislation on Wednesday.