WebSite Malaysia.Net

NEW YORK: Photo sharing site Flickr has joined the protest against the proposed legislation known as SOPA at the last minute by announcing that users will be able to darken each other's photos in a "symbolic act."

Going one step further than the anti-SOPA banners displayed on Google or the blackouts taking place on sites such as Wikipedia, Flickr is letting its members darken both their own photos and others' in an effort to show "the potential impact of these harmful bills."

Members of Flickr can darken up to 10 photos, of their own or others, before the option to do so is removed. Users who do not wish their photographs to be darkened can select the "opt out" button, which can be accessed from any photo.

The Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, a proposed legislation also known as House Bill 3261, would, its supporters claim, enable the US Department of Justice to protect intellectual property rights by giving them the power to prosecute websites accused or either facilitating or enabling copyright infringement.

However, opponents of the bill point to its potential to restrict freedom of speech on the Internet and lead to online censorship.

In a written statement, Flickr claims its measures are intended to "help draw attention to this issue and let others know about the potential harmful impacts of these bills."

To read the full statement from Flickr, see http://goo.gl/Gd0LB. To read the proposed SOPA legislation in full, go to http://goo.gl/TTEgB. - AFP/Relaxnews 2012