[rudiger]

I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Costolo that the blackouts are foolish, but not for the reason he cites. SOPA and PIPA are not just "single-issue national politics". If passed, they would have far-reaching and unforeseeable global consequences for the Internet.

However, I do regard the blackouts as ineffectual, as they don't send the right message to Congress and are too hostile ("hijacking" or "hostage-taking" come to mind).

I can't be the only one here who thinks the clamoring for blackouts by major websites is ill-thought-out, and might not produce the desired effect. They might even achieve the opposite of their intent, pushing Congress deeper into the pockets of Hollywood lobbyists and away from hostile tech companies.

[jahmed]

the blackouts are drastic but they need to be to capture peoples attentions. If SOPA/PIPA passed the first site to go down wont be reddit it will be foreignmusicdemosharing.com. People dont notice slow gradual change and by the time they do it could be too late.