Overview
Internet Slowdown Day refers to an online protest in support of Net Nutrality to be held on September 10th, 2014. Participating websites and blogs can put a spinning loading icon on their webpage, which urge their audience to speak out in favor of Net Neutrality.
Background
On September 3rd, 2014, Fight for the Future[3] published a press release on their Tumblr account[4] announcing the creation of Internet Slow Day, to be held on September 10th, to allow activists to let the FCC know they are for Net Neutrality and against the slow down of certain sites destroying Net Neutrality would create. It explained:
“On Wednesday, a diverse range of public interest groups representing more than 10 million people announced a day of mass online mobilization on Sept. 10 in support of Net Neutrality. On that day, numerous websites, social networks, online activism organizations and others will call on their members to contact Washington and demand real Net Neutrality protections. (Sites will employ icons that symbolize a slower Internet, but will not actually load more slowly.)”
This date comes five days before the September 15th, deadline for the public to comment to the FCC about their impending decision about Net Neutrality. The release directed users to Battle For the Net[1], where they can find the code for the loading widgets and explanation of their message that will explain to their visitors why they are participating in Internet Slowdown Day. The release also included a list of groups supporting the day:
“The American Civil Liberties Union, Common Cause, Center for Media Justice, Color of Change, DailyKos, Demand Progress, Democracy for America, Democrats.com, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Engine Advocacy, Fight for the Future, FireDogLake, Free Press Action Fund, Future of Music Coalition, Greenpeace USA, Harry Potter Alliance, Media Alliance, MoveOn, National Hispanic Media Coalition, OpenMedia, Popular Resistance, Presente, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Progressives United, the Other 98%, RootsAction, Rootstrikers, SumOfUs, Voqal, Women, Action & the Media”
Notable Developments
Media Coverage
On September 3rd, Seattle Pi[6] published an article titled “The Internet won’t really slow down on ‘Internet Slowdown Day’” which explained the call to action and how to participate. On September 4th, Wired[5] published an op-ed titled “Etsy CEO to Businesses: If Net Neutrality Perishes, We Will Too” in which Etsy CEO explains and expresses support for the Internet Slow Down. It was covered by several other sites the same day including TIME[7] and RT.[8] The same day The Daily Dot[9] reported several large websites and companies would be participating including Kickstarter, Foursquare and Reddit.
Search Interest
External References
[1]Battle For the Net – Sept. 10th is the Internet Slowdown
[2]Boing Boing – Sept 10 is Internet Slowdown day: save the net from Cable Company Fuckery!
[3]Fight for the Future – Sept 10 is Internet Slowdown day: save the net from Cable Company Fuckery!
[4]Tumblr – Fight for the Future
[5]Wired – Etsy CEO to Businesses: If Net Neutrality Perishes, We Will Too
[6]Seattle Pi – The Internet won’t really slow down on ‘Internet Slowdown Day’
[7]TIME– Your Favorite Websites Are Protesting Against Internet ‘Slow Lanes’
[8]RT – Internet Slowdown protest: Top web companies to join strike for net neutrality
[9]The Daily Dot – Your favorite websites are joining Internet Slowdown Day