SOPA blackout infographic shows the power of online activism

January 31, 2012 By Andrew Couts

A new infographic from Frugal Dad reveals the full extent of the January 18 Web protest against the "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) and the "PROTECT IP Act" (PIPA). See it below.

The January 18 mass blackout protest over the “Stop Online Piracy Act” (SOPA) and the “PROTECT IP Act” (PIPA) has come and gone. But its undisputed effectiveness will live on in the decade to come as the moment that a new breed of activism was born. Not only did the blackout push SOPA and PIPA off the congressional agenda (for now, at least), it has also forced the Washington lobbying industry to reassess its power, and how it does business in the future.

To sum up exactly what happened on that fateful Wednesday, blogger Frugal Dad has created an infographic that shows the full extent of the blackout the surrounding response, from both the entertainment industry and Congress. The data and other stats in this helpful image are truly astounding, and put into context the power of Web citizens to shape the digital world in which we all now live.

Source: frugaldad.com

Showing 13 comments

Gigi ATexaslady-Hyde at 11:22pm 2nd February 2012 Folks, the new format on FB gives you an opportunity to speak out in your header...use it to promote what you believe in, not just cutesy pictures.
Gigi ATexaslady-Hyde at 11:21pm 2nd February 2012 Thanks. OK you got me on 2 of those (S.I. No. 337/2011 and TPP or TPPA), thanks I'll add them to my list to watch and speak against. Do you think "OPEN" stands a chance to work?
Gigi ATexaslady-Hyde at 7:47pm 31st January 2012 The bigger question now is how do we reverse the Presidents "executive order" signature fostering this agreement on the USA without approval from Congress? Look forward to your next tight package on this subject.
Gigi ATexaslady-Hyde at 7:17pm 31st January 2012 Yes, attention to ACTA should have been made long before SOPA/PIPA. US has already signed the ACTA Trade Agreement with little notice or approval from Congress. Just another "Executive" decision sidestepping the constitution.
JerDon Brockman at 5:57pm 31st January 2012 Too bad ACTA is doing this, anyway, and completely making those efforts pointless....
jesterking at 8:57am 31st January 2012 So lets go!!! Lets repeal, ACTA! Lets stop HR1981! Hawaii's HR 2288! Lets stop government intrusion of the free internet! Why do we need to end with SOPA and PIPA? Why is there no discussion about the other ones out there?
1. Andrew Couts at 10:58am 31st January 2012 I'm on it. Stay tuned - will have something on all this later today.
  1. jesterking at 11:00am 31st January 2012 Awesome, thanks Andrew! There's a lot going on these days, and I wish people would pay attention! Much like the NDAA, and how no one has really expressed much outrage over it!
    Andrew Couts at 11:08am 31st January 2012 Definitely - I think there's just so much going on, a lot of people who would normally care just feel overwhelmed, or don't exactly understand what they need to pay attention to, or what they can do to help fight these bad bills/treaties, etc. My goal is to sum all this up into a tight package, which I'm working on right now.
    jesterking at 11:14am 31st January 2012 That's why you're the man!
    Andrew Couts at 3:08pm 2nd February 2012 It took me three solid days to research and write, but it's finally done. Here you go: http://www.digitaltrends.com/web/occupy-this-5-internet-regulations-we-need-to-destroy/
    jesterking at 3:50pm 2nd February 2012 Well worth the wait, I'm sure! I don't have time to read it right now, but I will later tonight! Thanks for your hard work! It's appreciated. I will also share with everyone I know!
    Andrew Couts at 9:50am 3rd February 2012 You rock! Thanks man.