For Internet Freedom Day, Watch Aaron Swartz Explain How SOPA Was Stopped

from the internet-freedom-day dept

For many who knew Aaron Swartz, this Internet Freedom Day -- the anniversary of last year's January 18th blackouts that led to the end of SOPA/PIPA -- is a bit bittersweet. Aaron played a very large role in helping stop SOPA last year -- to the point that I'm not sure the bills would have been stopped without his help. Thus, many are using today as both a celebration of what happened last year, as well as a memorial for Swartz. And what better way to combine the two than to watch Swartz's excellent keynote speech at F2C: Freedom to Connect last year about "How we stopped SOPA." It gives a good history of the bill, combined with Aaron's own accomplishments during the fight. Oh, and for those who still insist that SOPA was stopped by Google, remember that Aaron was no fan of Google.

Filed Under: aaron swartz, internet freedom, internet freedom day, pipa, sopa

Infographic: Celebrating Internet Freedom Day & The Anniversary Of The SOPA/PIPA Protests

from the celebrate-internet-freedom dept

It's January 18th, 2013, and that's a day worthy of note: the one year anniversary of the widespread protests against SOPA and PIPA. Not only did the massive reaction from the internet community succeed in stopping these dangerous bills that would have curtailed free speech and innovation online, the protests sent shockwaves through the world of politics. In a true manifestation of democracy, the combined voice of the people overruled the lobbyists and backroom dealers who, only weeks before, were smugly assured of the new law's passage.

To celebrate that victory, a bunch of groups involved in the ongoing fight for internet freedom have come together to declare Internet Freedom Day on January 18th. Here at Techdirt, we're marking the occasion with an infographic looking back at the day the internet community became a political force to be reckoned with:

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<a href="https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130117/15210821719/infographic-celebrating-internet-freedom-day-anniversary-sopapipa-protests.shtml"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/lLtGE.jpg" title="Techdirt Celebrates Internet Freedom Day" /></a>

Filed Under: infographic, internet, internet freedom day, pipa, sopa