It looks like Twitter could end up the definitive site on the Internet on Wednesday. The social-media site said Tuesday that it will not be joining in the blackout planned by sites such as Wikipedia, Boing Boing, and Reddit. The sites will shut down Wednesday to protest a bill aimed at ending online piracy known as the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. Twitter has been a vocal opponent of the bill—and its Senate equivalent—but chief executive Dick Costolo said that participating in a political protest would be “foolish.” Wikipedia will shut down all of its English-language sites, a first since the site launched in 2001 and a decision the company said “wasn’t lightly made.” Google Inc., the world’s most popular search engine, will include a link on its homepage highlighting its opposition to the bill.
