The School of Information Studies joined major websites, including Google, Wikipedia and Mozilla Firefox, in a virtual protest Wednesday.

The sites were protesting the Stop Online Piracy Act and its Senate counterpart, Protect IP Act. The acts are under development in Congress and contain provisions that could put user-generated websites, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, at risk of being shut down or altered because copyright holders can ‘blacklist’ websites where users post content. Companies such as Google are worried these provisions could impose a serious limitation on the freedom of speech. Major media companies support the bill, hoping it will cut down on users illegally downloading movies and music.

The websites that took part in the protest blacked out information, leaving users in the dark. It is good for the iSchool to take such a bold stance on an issue that is so strongly tied to the school.

Many of the students in the iSchool program will be searching for jobs and working in this field upon graduation. By bringing attention to this issue, the iSchool is protecting its students and making a statement for the university to rally behind.

The strong stance of the participating websites leaves a mark with Internet users across the country. Not being able to easily search information may have been annoying and inconvenient for one day, but it brings attention to the issue and urges users to learn more. By protesting the acts, the websites are not actually supporting Internet piracy. Most of the websites that blacked out Wednesday are against the wording in the bill, not its message.

Supporters say the bill is targeting foreign sites that are currently out of the reach of U.S. law enforcement.

With the mass outcry and lobbying in Washington, D.C., Congress’ debate of the bill has been pushed until February, but it seems unlikely the bill — at least, in its current form — will pass.

By participating in the demonstration, the iSchool opened up a new discussion for students — one the school should continue to foster as the bill moves through stages of Congress. By bringing the issue to light, the blackout allows for more informed Internet users and more informed discussions.