Twitter Calls Wikipedia's Anti-SOPA Blackout 'Foolish': Who's Right?

The protest against SOPA is picking steam, but surprisingly the reactions of Wikipedia and Twitter are opposite.

Wikipedia announced a 24-hour shutdown of its English version service to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act, but Dick Costolo, Twitter chief executive, has called it foolish and silly.

That's just silly. Closing a global business in reaction to single-issue national politics is foolish, Costolo tweeted Monday.

Costolo's comment has triggered a controversy, especially as he was asked to support Wikipedia's protest by its founder Jimmy Wales. Cosstolo clarified himself by tweeting, I don't INTENTIONALLY make value judgements about organizations for which I don't have full context.

Costolo has his supporters, including Thenextweb.

The decision by Wikipedia has obviously been made with the right intentions at heart, but like Twitter, it is a global business that maintains a service used by people around the world. Twitter’s position as a communications hub can be used to host discussions about the issue and to foster debate. Shutting it down might produce a flash of interest, but there are other ways that would be more effective, Thenextweb said.

Wikipedia said it's decision to protest against SOPA via blackout wasn't taken lightly. This will be the first time the English Wikipedia has ever staged a public protest of this nature, and it’s a decision that wasn’t lightly made, the popular online encyclopedia, which draws around 75 million unique visitors every month, said.

Critics of SOPA believe the legislation, though a domestic issue, is going to affect people worldwide. Anyway, protesters of SOPA are seeking alternate ways to be heard - some have adopted extreme measures, while others prefer a moderate approach. However, one thing is certain - Internet blackout by SOPA might be more serious than ever.