(CNN) -- Go to Wikipedia at midnight, and you won't find any of the usual encyclopedia articles.

Instead, you'll be greeted with a message about anti-piracy bills that are topics of heated debate in the U.S. Congress -- stirring opposition from tech companies in Silicon Valley and support from media companies in Hollywood.

Wikipedia, one of the highest-traffic sites on the Internet, will shut down for 24 hours in protest of these laws, which the website says would make it very difficult -- maybe impossible -- for its nonprofit encyclopedia to continue to operate.

The blackout starts at 12 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

Watch Hitler Reacts to Wikipedia Blackout Protesting SOPA

Anyone can simply disable Javascript on their browser and access the full Wikipedia site as normal.

That may not happen now that SOPA has been disapproved by Obama.

Anyone can simply disable Javascript on their browser and access the full Wikipedia site as normal.

Not sure what you mean. This topic indicates they are shutting down their website which would mean their servers. This applies only to the English servers though and up to the other language servers to follow suit or not.

Go to the site and try it

Go to the site and try it

Just saw a member reporting and yep, unavailable.

Thaivisa not blacking out ?

Go to the site and try it

Just saw a member reporting and yep, unavailable.

Yes, now try and go to the site again, this time with Javascript disabled. The whole site displays and works as normal, and that black screen doesn't appear.

Yes, now try and go to the site again, this time with Javascript disabled. The whole site displays and works as normal, and that black screen doesn't appear.

Indeed it does. Would thought they would be more sophisticated than to use a js redirect rather than a server side redirect.

Would thought they would be more sophisticated than to use a js redirect rather than a server side redirect.

Me too!!!

Would thought they would be more sophisticated than to use a js redirect rather than a server side redirect.

Me too!!!

Maybe the point is to show that censorship is most likely to affect the average user who haqs no ill intent while the criminals (like you guys ;-) ) can easily circumvent this.

Regarding SOPA.

It's not the law that many people are protesting...it;s the lack of safeguards in it that many are complaining about.

As for example, if someone sends you a link to another site and you repost that link...then YOU can be held responsible for the consequences of a 3rd party stealing content from that site you directed them to...even if you had no involvement in that stealing or you didn't even know that any of the matierial was pirated.

It's the eqivalent of sitting at a table outside a bar in Pattaya drinking a beer while you're friend is inside with a bargirl. Your feiend then has his wallet stolen, so the police come and arrest you for "aiding and abetting" in the theft of your friend's wallet because you originally told him that bargirl looked "willing".

according to the law then when someone sings a song and places it on a video portal is a criminal.

http://wordpress.com also downed for 24 hours to protest.

Go to the site and try it

Just saw a member reporting and yep, unavailable.

Yes, now try and go to the site again, this time with Javascript disabled. The whole site displays and works as normal, and that black screen doesn't appear.

Be a pirate.. disable your java script and see wikipedia..

Looks like it's worked.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16623831