Sites Go Dark to Protest Anti-Piracy Proposals SOPA, PIPA

DALLAS - Online encyclopedia Wikipedia has gone dark. The website, along with sites like Craigslist, Boing Boing, and others are shutting down for a 24-hour period in protest of proposed anti-piracy legislation.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) are designed to crack down on sales of pirated U.S. products overseas. But critics say the proposed laws infringe on free-speech rights.

"It is detrimental to the free and open web," Jay Walsh, head of communications for the Wikimedia Foundation, told FOX News. "It is detrimental to Wikipedia and we want to make sure that we send a message."

Supporters say there is a need for this type of legislation. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, co-authored SOPA.

"The problem of online piracy today is huge, it's immense, it amounts to $100 billion a year," said Rep. Smith.

"SOPA is an attempt to solve a problem that is a real problem, and that is the theft of American Intellectual property that is basically sold via the internet," said Ambassador David Smith, senior fellow at hte Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.

The proposed bills pave the way for authorities to shut down websites accused of online privacy -- something that concerns huge sites like Google, Twitter, and others.

"If something like this does get passed, it creates a dynamic, a power that really does cut to the fabric of the internet," said John Abell of Wired Magazine. "We just don't know the consequences of saying, 'You have to block sites.'"

The White House says it has plans to get involved. The Obama Administration has pledged to work with Congress to battle piracy and counterfeiting while defending free expression, privacy and innovation on the internet.