After watching the US government threaten the Internet with bills like SOPA and PIPA, Internet entrepreneurs from Reddit set out to “campaign for the Internet” during the 2012 presidential election season. Traveling from Denver, Colorado to Danville, Kentucky during the presidential and vice presidential debates, the Internet 2012 Bus Tour explored the potential that the Open Internet holds to promote our economy – not just in Silicon Valley, but in cities and towns and farms all over America.
Today, January 18th has been declared Internet Freedom Day by internet users and supporters all around the U.S. Why is this important? Because we have to protect the FREEDOM TO CONNECT.
As Fight For The Future reminds us:
When SOPA and PIPA were first introduced in Congress, things looked grim for the internet. Widespread censorship seemed imminent, and Internet supporters everywhere were worried about the massive blow that was about to be dealt to freedom.
The Innovation Policy Summit is live from CES this week and if you’re not in Las Vegas you can still check out the panels being streamed right here courtesy of our friends at the Consumer Electronics Association and The Innovation Movement.
Watch these important panels on issues affecting innovation including the technology economy, e-waste, pro-innovation policy, facial recognition, job creation, mobile, patents and copyrights [featuring our own Hank Shocklee on the panel - Beyond SOPA: Creating a Pro-Innovation, Pro-Artist Copyright Policy - Tuesday, January 8th at 2:00pm PST].
If you’re in town for the show, make sure to stop by!
One year ago, a digital sleeping giant suddenly awoke. Millions of Americans called, emailed, and wrote their members in Congress in defense of Internet Freedom. The ground had shifted, and Washington would never be the same. To mark the anniversary of this great moment, The Celebration of Internet Freedom will take place on January 15th at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.
On Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, at the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco, more than 1,000 influential thought-leaders will gather at the 10th SF MusicTech Summit, an incredible gathering of internet, technology and music leaders.
Please forward this open letter to Washington from artists and creators signed by a group of greatly talented people who care to make a difference and speak out against the current SOPA bill that is threatening to censor our internet in the U.S. and along with it would devastate innovation, artistic and cultural communication, works of art, technological advances, businesses and the livelihoods of many.
Our own Hank Shocklee on behalf of Shocklee Entertainment is a part of this open letter being hosted at stopthewall.us/artists
