#Breaktheinternet protest offers one last gasp for net neutrality
The internet is offering one last gasp in its fight for net neutrality.
Various websites are putting up warnings or even limiting usability on Tuesday to make sure their users know that the Federal Communications Commission is voting on Thursday to essentially hand control of the internet over to massive corporations.
The protest, organized by nonprofit organization Fight for the Future, echoes similar actions of years past in which websites have gotten together to put the issue of net neutrality (and other internet-related topics) right in the faces of their users.
"Websites, startups, apps and businesses large and small are already helping drive phone calls to Congress using creative widgets, modals, and banners that show what the Internet might look like if ISPs can control what users do with throttling, censorship, and new fees," wrote Fight for the Future in a press release.
Our favorite #breaktheinternet protest is the "loading" page for Reddit's technology subreddit, shown below.
Other major websites also featured calls for action. Kickstarter and Etsy offered two of the boldest landing page notifications.
Numerous other websites joined in, including Mozilla, Imgur, Pornhub, Patreon, and more.
All of these websites are calling for people to contact their Congressional representatives. At this point, only the U.S. Congress can halt the FCC's vote on Thursday. There's almost no indication it will do that.
The FCC's vote on Tuesday goes beyond net neutrality. Once passed, the FCC will have effectively removed itself almost entirely from oversight of internet service providers. This will give ISPs the ability to cut deals with major companies for preferential treatment — a move that net neutrality proponents warn would be the first steps toward ruining the open internet and turning it into something akin to cable TV.
Aside from the major website takeovers, various other pages will feature smaller calls for action.
The fight for net neutrality is here and websites are making sure people know what's about to happen.
Topics Activism Net Neutrality
Jason Abbruzzese is a Business Reporter at Mashable. He covers the media and telecom industries with a particular focus on how the Internet is changing these markets and impacting consumers. Prior to working at Mashable, Jason served as Markets Reporter and Web Producer at the Financial Times. Jason holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University and an M.A. in International Affairs from Australian National University.
