Can Internet Protests Get Political Results? Yes, They Can

Jan 18 saw the biggest day of online protest in the English world in history, with thousands of websites temporarily dark and many more displaying prominent banners of opposition to the anti-piracy bills now in Congress. Many of the most-visited sites participated -- Google and Wikipedia most prominently -- and more than 25,000 WordPress blogs did as well, with another 12,500 sporting a "Stop Censorship" ribbon. The New York Times called the organization a sign of the tech industry's "coming of age." Today, as the Internet flits back to its normal operations, and the dust of the protests settles, here's an accounting of the day's effect.

• When Wikipedia went back online, it announced an impressive figure: Its protest page had been viewed 162 million times -- that's more than five times the number of views English Wikipedia receives on a normal Wednesday.
• By 4pm EST, there had been more than 2.4 million tweets about the bills.
• Google searches for information about the bills surged.
• Throughout the day, lawmakers were hearing it from constituents. In response, seven co-sponsors of the Senate bill withdrew their support.
• The House bill, SOPA, now has far more opponents than supporters, and was already on its deathbed before yesterday's protest.