Breaking: SOPA, PIPA Lose Co-Sponsors, Might Be Stopped in Congress

After thousands of popular websites went offline today and many more individuals took to the Twitterverse to protest SOPA and PIPA, several co-sponsors of the anti-piracy bills have just withdrawn their support, telling reporters that they were worried about the legislations' impact on free speech, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The L.A. Times details that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has taken his name off the Protect Intellectual Property Act, and that Reps. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) have decided to abandon the Stop Internet Piracy Act, the bill's version in the house. According to the New York Times, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) also deserted the measure.

Though the proposed legislations are supposed to curb internet piracy, many critics say that the wording of the bills could infringe on free speech.

So, they took to the web and staged a "blackout."

The L.A. Times says that some 10,000 websites -- including giants such as Wikipedia and Reddit -- have gone dark in protest. Google has also altered its homepage (pictured above) to voice concern over potential web censorship.

Runnin' Scared will keep you posted with updates.