The Web has gone dark. OK, maybe not the entire Web, but a good portion of the Web is joining its symbolic hands today in solidarity to oppose the SOPA and PIPA legislation currently being pushed in the United States Congress. Turning off websites sends a message, but hopefully that message reaches the right audience – Congress.

The authors and supporters of SOPA and PIPA claim that the legislative initiatives are necessary to counter a growing epidemic of online piracy, but the bills are written too broadly and have the potential to significantly damage the Internet as we know it. If you visit sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, or Craigslist right now – at least from the United States – you will find that the sites are offline, and have been replaced by messages opposing the legislation.