The Internet is a most amazing thing that we are unfortunately taking for granted. At its core it is about connecting all of humanity with each other. With it we, the people, have the power to dramatically reduce the cost and expand the reach of education. To conduct research outside of the confines of academia or corporations. To collaborate on art projects and so much more. Yet precisely because it is so disruptive for existing power structures including large corporations and governments, the Internet is under relentless attack. Russia just passed a bill requiring bloggers to register. The UK has instituted default on filtering of “offensive” content. And here in the US we are about to create fast lanes, slow lanes and no lanes for Internet traffic.
We should all be fighting these attacks on the Internet. Here is what you can do right now in the US
Give money to Alexis Ohanian’s campaign to put up a billboard in the FCC’s backyard.
There will be a lot more calls to action coming soon, including some code you can add to your site to show what the Internet might look like with fast lanes, slow lanes and no lanes. In the meantime, please watch and share the following video:
If you want to read more, you can start with what I have written on net neutrality over the years as well as watch a talk I gave about “Threats and Opportunities for a Stronger Web” at Velocity 2012.
