The SOPA Blackout Protest
On January, 18, 2012, I participated in a website blackout to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act, the Protect-IP act, and similar legislation. A big chunk of the Internet (the World Wide Web, technically) joined me. The point? Turn our sites off for a day while providing resources for United States citizens to contact their elected officials to voice their opposition to these and similar legislation. Sure, when this post first goes live, most everyone reading it will know what I’m talking about, but a year — heck, eight months — from now that little bit of verbose exposition will be necessary, believe me.
I went a bit farther than just replacing my website with a declaration, a form, and an informative video. I decided to simulate what it would be like if my entire presence on the Internet was blocked: e-mail, Facebook, Skype, etc. Since this is an issue that affects all citizens of the United States of America, I went black for as long as it was January 18th somewhere in my country and her territories… over thirty hours.
Even though it meant missing (deleting as if I’d never received them, in fact) potentially important e-mails, I held to the blackout. Granted, my little civil action didn’t have the same financial impact as was undoubtedly suffered by sites like BoingBoing or Tucows, but meant something to me. The importance of a cause is, in part, measured by the sacrifice one is willing to make.
The Point
Some people didn’t get the point of blacking out one’s site. Indeed, valuable public resources like Craig’s List and Wikipedia actually took some heat for denying their mission and hurting their users for a day. I saw comments from folks who didn’t see the value of the blackout at all.
The point was not just to simulate the chilling effect of SOPA or PIPA. Most sites didn’t only disappear. Like mine, they displayed information about why SOPA, PIPA and similar legislation is a bad idea for the Internet and for culture… and they included a way for United States citizens to contact their elected officials to urge them to drop support for the bills. A demonstration and protest, to be sure… but activism as well.
I was disappointed that sites like Mashable and Lifehacker wasted no time invalidating the point being made by Wikipedia in particular, by shamelessly providing how-to articles on ways to circumvent Wikipedia’s blackout. In other words, missing the point. Disappointing, but the kind of thing I’d expect from Mashable… and I guess I should have expected from Lifehacker.
Boo and hiss, Mashable and Lifehacker. Not for missing the point, for I’m certain your editors are smarter than that. No, you lose my respect because you got the point and chose self-interest instead.
Other Disappointments
Some people and groups who make their living being creative in part or in whole thanks to their freedom to use the Internet any way they like were conspicuously silent regarding their position on SOPA and PIPA. Independent authors who used the blackout as an opportunity to make jokes. Transmedia pioneers who (despite my direct and willfully obnoxious prodding) apparently passed on the opportunity to publicly take a stand opposite the entertainment companies that often pay their bills. Most podcasters. And so on. It was sad to see.
Not Over Yet
The Protect-IP Act (PIPA) goes up for a vote on January 24, 2012. SOPA will be back up for discussion in February. While political support for these acts has certainly eroded in the last few days, they are far from dead. Don’t become complacent. And please don’t be afraid to take a stand.
One Personal Take-Away
I wasn’t on Twitter, Facebook or Google Plus in a personal capacity during the blackout and, while it was strange now and then, I didn’t really miss it. More importantly, I deleted unread every e-mail sent to my personal and MWS Media accounts and the world kept turning.
In fact, I’m going to experiment with an e-mail policy of sorts. Effective immediately, I’m going to check e-mail just three times a day. If there’s anything that can’t wait more than a few hours for my response, there are other ways to get in touch with me, after all. I wonder if I’ll feel lighter? I’ll give it a try for a bit and let you know how that turns out.
How Was Your January 18th?
What do you think about the blackouts to support awareness of, and demonstrate against, SOPA, PIPA and similar legislation? Let me know in the comments!
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