the internet activits unite to fight for net neutrality

Internet activists have coalesced around net neutrality after a series of skirmishes. Activists began worrying about net neutrality in 2005, when the US supreme court ruled against a move to force cable companies to share their infrastructure with ISPs such as Brand X and EarthLink. The FCC, then overseen by Powell, joined with the cable companies in opposing the challenge.

An alphabet soup of acts then came before Congress, from the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement (Cope) Act of 2006 to the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) of 2014. An unlikely band of activists came together to protest what they saw as attempts to push through legislation which would restrict their freedom of expression online. The Christian Coalition of America and Gun Owners of America opposed Cope, for example, alongside the liberal nonprofit Common Cause.

By the time the latest spat came before the FCC, Karr argues, net activists had sharpened their tactics and raised their game.

“They had been successful at killing bills but not very successful at creating new rules,” he said.

With net neutrality, that appears to have changed. Activists haven’t just lobbied to kill a bill – they have specifically pushed for Title II. It has worked. In November Obama, who has always been a champion of net neutrality but had never thrown his weight behind specific legislation to protect it, also came out for Title II, calling on the FCC to enact the “strongest possible rules” to protect an open internet.

Big Cable appeared to be on the brink of ending net neutrality

Verizon’s victory was a dark day for open-internet activists. Big Cable appeared to be on the brink of ending net neutrality. The court victory meant the FCC no longer had the authority to stop internet service providers (ISPs) blocking or “unreasonably” discriminating against services.

After the decision, Netflix emerged as the poster child of blocking. The company had its service slowed by ISPs as they negotiated fees – a move Oliver described as having “all the ingredients of a Mob shakedown”. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Netflix founder Reed Hastings has become the tech industry’s loudest proponent of net neutrality. That spinning wheel many customers have dreaded while waiting for House of Cards or other Netflix shows to load has become a powerful avatar of what activists say is at stake in the debate.

The rules now likely to be brought before the FCC would give the regulator the power to oversee broadband under Title II of the communications act of 1996, giving it far greater authority over the industry and the power to ban “throttling” – deliberately slowing internet traffic.

There is still a long way to go. The five FCC commissioners will vote of the proposal on 26 February and ahead of the meeting, lobbying for changes will be intense. In the meantime, in Congress, Republicans are working on a bill that would undermine the FCC’s plans.

Fight for the Future

Even the FCC – or perhaps that should be especially the FCC – appears to be in cable’s pocket. Chairman Tom Wheeler used to be president of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), Big Cable’s lobbying group. The current chairman of the NCTA is Michael Powell … formerly head of the FCC.

Against such powerful opponents Zeese, co-director of pressure group Popular Resistance, looked underpowered. He used old-school methods to make his point, camping outside the Washington office of the FCC, badgering Wheeler at his home, blocking his drive and forcing him to take the subway to work, organising protests outside the White House.

But while the physical protests were mainly small affairs, behind him was an army of online activists so massive that after comedian John Oliver called on protesters to email the FCC in support of net neutrality, they crashed the regulator’s servers.

John Oliver's cheeky net neutrality plea crashes FCC website

 

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Spurred on by online activists including Fight for the Future, a six-person team that has managed to coordinate protests with people and companies including Reddit, Netflix, Mozilla and PornHub, people have now submitted more than four million comments on the FCC proposals. A topic many had dismissed as boring and wonky has proved more controversial than Janet Jackson’s nipple – the singer’s accidental exposure during the Super Bowl in 2004 triggered a then record 1.4m comments to the FCC.

Net neutrality battle pitches activists and FCC against Big Cable and GOP

This week, FCC commissioners will start discussing a new set of rules for regulating the web that could ban fast lanes. That ban would be part of a set of rules that, if passed, will regulate the internet in the similar way to utilities like water or electricity – a move net activists have been dreaming of for decades, believing it will allow the regulator to better protect net neutrality. The change in tone has been swift and dramatic and it even caught Zeese by surprise.

British Army Creates Psy-Op Unit of Facebook Warriors

The 77th, which will be stationed in Hermitage — about 60 miles west of London — admits that it will employ the tactics of spreading both disinformation and truths across multiple social media platforms, according to reports.

This will not be the first time that a nation has openly engaged in psychological operations via social media. Both the United States and Israel have utilized the internet for years — covertly and publicly — to counteract reports that are unfavorable to their agendas. The IDF has a presence on 30 social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook. Israeli Defense Forces also apply the use of six languages to assist in spreading their political hyperbole globally. Fort Bragg in North Carolina also houses a segment of U.S. Psy-Op forces who partake in similar activities.

get the word out

Data being collected can reveal everything from our financial status, to our medical history, our sexual orientation, and even our religious and political beliefs.

The government’s mishandling of this data has meant innocent Canadians have lost their jobs and even been banned from entering the U.S.⁴

Experts agree: this approach is both reckless and ineffective.⁵ The government is hoping we won't notice so they can scare people into voting for them.⁶

These new laws and the reaction to recent CSE revelations could be our best chance to rein in out-of-control spying - but it will only work if thousands of Canadians speak out now.

stop spying on us

The government is trying to ram through a new law that The Globe and Mail warns could create "secret police" in Canada.¹ What’s worse: recent revelations show they’re already sharing our data with foreign governments.^2,3

If passed, authorities will be able to share your sensitive information at will. You could be monitored for no reason and find yourself on a government watch-list simply for clicking a link.

Tell Stephen Harper to pass pro-privacy legislation and end warrantless surveillance NOW.

stop spying on us