TorrentFreak is joining the, well, torrent of websites that are blacking out in protest of SOPA today. While some, like Wikipedia and Reddit, are blacking out completely, many are showing their support in other ways. TorrentFreak, a site that specializes in new from the world of filesharing, shows users a blacked out site with a dialogue box asking them to help save the internet. Users who agree to save the internet are taken to a site that helps them send a letter to their Congressional representatives. Those who click “Meh” are taken on to TorrentFreak’s uncensored site, where they are greeted by a flashing yellow and pink banner encouraging them to stop censorship. Clicking the banner takes them to the same contact page.
While TorrentFreak could easily be accused of preaching to the choir with its protest, the inclusion of an option to contact users’ Senators and Representatives is perhaps the cleverest part. It provides a direct link for those who might not otherwise get involved in the political process to express their opposition to the legislation with nothing more than a few keystrokes and a couple clicks of their mouse.