Today is a day to protest legislation that is being worked on in the guise to prevent piracy.
A geeks perspective on this is about freedom. There are tech oriented people who occupy many different political positions. I think a common value is freedom of expression.
We do not usually create a message, but we facilitate it. We are the AV club of the Internet.
The current proposed legislation may help us geeks, nerds and tech types find our voice. It is odd to have lawmakers take this collective work we refer to as the "Internet" and try and take ownership of it.
They say this is to prevent piracy. There are many successful business models that fight piracy in America. Services like Netflix or Hulu charge $8 a month to use their entire catalog of media.
The Internet has given voice to many political causes. It has taken control from dictators around the world. It allows for a real dialog among our world.
Totalitarian governments censor the Internet regularly. Today's protests by many websites is to give you a taste of what the Internet would look like if you give control away.
This might be the new candidate test for a geek. Do you believe in Internet freedom?
This is not about right or left, but about freedom and the open opportunity of expression. Today's politicians do not understand technology. It might be time to find some that do.
