In what's being called the largest protest in the history of the Internet, web giants like Google, Wikipedia and Mozilla helped drive Internet users to the phones, emails and faxes on Jan. 18 to protest anti-piracy bills in Congress that had far-reaching implications for social networking, remix culture and online publishing. The resulting pressure on members of the House and Senate resulted in many members announcing their opposition to the bills, effectively stopping their progress.
On this episode of NationBuilder's Leaders and Creators, I talk with Colin Delany, founder and editor of e.politics and director of online communications and outreach for the National Women's Law Center, about the historical online action, former Sen. Chris Dodd's old-school lobbying efforts to push the SOPA/PIPA bills on behalf of the Motion Picture Association of America, and what this battle between traditional entertainment industry interests and the web means for the future of tech industry lobbying in DC.
 Colin Delany @epolitics |
Colin and I also discuss the philosophies in Jaron Lanier's "You Are Not a Gadget" and Kurt Vonnegut's "Player Piano," and how organizations, from advocacy non-profits to citizens groups like the Tea Party, turn their online networks into offline political influence.