Wikipedia prepares to 'go dark' in SOPA protest

Wikipedia has become the latest site to announce its plan to go offline on Wednesday in protest of the controversial US Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA.)

The group said in a posting that it would be taking its English-language service offline for 24 hours to help raise awareness about both SOPA and the Protect IP Act (PIPA.)

"In late 2011, the United States Congress proposed two legislative bills, SOPA and PIPA, which legal scholars and others have advised have the potential to significantly change the way that information can be shared through the internet," the statement read.

"It is the opinion of the English Wikipedia community that both of these bills, if passed, would be devastating to the free and open web."

Wikimedia founder and chairman Jimmy Wales also voiced his support for the blackout in a Twitter post.

"I hope Wikipedia will melt phone systems in Washington on Wednesday," Wales Tweeted.

"Tell everyone you know!"

The decision adds Wikipedia to a growing list of companies planning to shut down in protest of the law. High-profile news sharing service Reddit also plans to go dark in protest of the controversial legislation.

The Consumer Electronics Association asked attendees at last week's CES conference to sign petitions protesting the bill.

The SOPA legislation, which was delayed from a vote Monday, has drawn the attention of webmasters and publishers around the world. Some have suggested that, if passed, the law could allow firms to block international sites and pressure publishers to remove innocent sites.