The Day We Fight Back Against Mass Surveilance

Dear users of the internet,

In January 2012 we defeated the with the largest Internet protest in history. A year ago this month one of that movement&;s leaders, , tragically passed away.

Today we face a different threat, one that undermines the Internet, and the notion that any of us live in a genuinely free society: mass surveillance.

If Aaron were alive, he&;d be on the front lines, fighting against a world in which governments observe, collect, and analyze our every digital action.

Now, on the the anniversary of Aaron&;s passing, and in celebration of the win against SOPA and PIPA that he helped make possible, we are planning a day of protest against mass surveillance, to take place this February 11th.

This is the opening message on ;s website. While SOPA and PIPA, as I understand them, were intended to fight against piracy, their encompassing measures were too strong and does not foster an open online community (which the internet should be). I am putting this on my blog because I support this movement, in this little way I can, all the way here from Cebu City, Philippines. While I admit I committed acts of piracy, I am not accepting a nuke solution by limiting our internet access to fight against it.

This is also a clear example of the power of rallying people on the web. It&;s quite a powerful tool to start a revolution if you think about it thoroughly. No wonder some countries censor their internet. We don&;t want that, do we? Do you? Oh, you don&;t? So take part in this fight in as small a way as posting on your feed. It&;ll be something.

So, hello world. See you on the virtual rally grounds on February 11!

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