As many of you may have noticed yesterday some of your favorite sites were either completely shut down or graphically representing their protest to SOPA and PIPA. These include some serious internet heavyweights such as Google, Reddit, Mozilla, Wired, Mashable, Wordpress, Flickr and even I Can Has Cheezburger (who knew cats protested?).
More than just placing a graphic on their website, they urge users to contact their Representative directly regarding the bill. These companies state that not only will the bill require costly oversight and regulatory spending within their organizations, but on a broader scale it violates the First Amendment and the free sharing of information on the web.
English Wikipedia itself provided a full 24 hour blackout from the information on their site. However, reportedly 162 million people still tuned in for their message against SOPA and PIPA. Roughly 8 million of those users went on to contact their representative directly... in a single day.
From Wikipedia today, "More than 162 million people saw our message asking if you could imagine a world without free knowledge. You said no. You shut down Congress’s switchboards. You melted their servers. Your voice was loud and strong. Millions of people have spoken in defense of a free and open Internet."
Reportedly Google had similar luck with 4.5 million signatures to the petition they encouraged users to sign yesterday.
And though it is nice for Mark Zuckerberg to comment, "We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet's development. Facebook opposes Sopa and Pipa, and we will continue to oppose any laws that will hurt the internet." it is nothing compared to the power that social sharing via Facebook provided for this movement.
Like wildfire individuals who otherwise are not aware of policy changes, are now in the mix of the debate and passionately sharing the message with their friends. Facebook provides an exponential platform for movements with social merit and/or provocative content in an instant.
Overall, I think it is powerful and sometimes scary the engine the internet has become. What in the past took weeks and months of preparation for a street rally moves in seconds to get the attention of millions. The internet moves fast to rally the troops. And in an age where government is a slow moving giant, the internet provides citizens with a quick and agile marketplace for movement.
So while discussion on Capitol Hill aren't expected to resume until February, I believe yesterday's actions will have a huge impact on those discussions. Whether you agree or disagree with SOPA and PIPA, I believe the beauty of what happened yesterday is the citizens of America rallying together to have their voice heard. In the spirit of our Founding Fathers our government is supposed to be a representation of the desires of the American people. I believe the internet is a vehicle to have more people heard, informed and empowered to take part in America's future. Perhaps that is a bold statement, but I'm a nerd and I love the internet, so deal with it.
There were some great page graphics yesterday. Click
here for a full gallery