Wiki blackout

January 18th is going into the history books as a date that will live in ignorance… but so far, it’s not clear if Wikipedia’s 24-hour “blackout” is having the desired effect.

The internet encyclopedia’s home page was black to protest pending U.S. legislation aimed at shutting down sites that share pirated movies and other content.

But the block could be bypassed by changing browser settings or by using the version of the site designed for smart phones.

U.S. lawmakers are considering a bill which would give the government authority to monitor and shut down websites accused of distributing pirated content and stop illegal downloads.