The only thing locking most people into Google search is habit. If Google were to not work for a day, a ton of people would start using Bing and friends; a significant proportion of these would indubitably continue using them forever. Most people don't really care about which engine they use--until it fails. Once it fails, they'll flail around for a bit then use somebody else.
I think the damage to Google's reputation and market share would be too big for them to consider killing search for a day. I could see them doing a doodle or something though.
Please, let's not be retarded. If things black out one day, it'll just piss people off and the next day it'll be back to normal.
Let's encourage Google / Facebook / Twitter to use their huge audiences to spread awareness of the issue. When the public hears what SOPA is, they will reject it. The only way this thing will pass is if its sneaks in by the special interests.
Stop the blackout talk though
It's no different from saying "SOPA is gay!!!"
If Tumblr got 87k calls to congress, Google or FB or Twitter should generate an order of magnitude more with well placed banners and popups.
Or maybe they could have something that draws black censor bars all over random words in your results that fade away after a few seconds and put up a link explaining what's wrong? That would be relatively easy, especially for Google.
EDIT: Apparently Tumblr did something like this. That must be where I heard about the idea.
I believe they will run it by the legal team anyway.
Screw SOPA! If we lose this, we lose the internet... and we built the damn thing... each in our own small way.
This is why something like HackerNews deciding to participate matters. Not because of the HN audience but because of the momentum needed to get the bigger guys to go along.
I do feel that Google (along with other major Internet companies) should take a more active approach in opposing SOPA.
This 'race-to-imagine-the-most-widespread-blackout' can make people giddy, with thoughts of solidarity and grand symbolic gestures. But giddy is not necessarily effective or lasting.
Shoot for an obtrusive anti-SOPA Google doodle – with links to both examples of government-takedowns gone-mad worldwide, and ways to fight SOPA. That'd make more sense (and might convince more 'normals') than a showy bit of profit-destroying self-flagellation.
I agree more with the doodle idea, or that every click to a search result brings up a modal dialog with a "contact your congress members" button.
Also the CHINESE gov't is never going to shut down Google.
Just adding a little perspective...
