Abstract

Global activism culminating in a one-day protest in January 2012 dubbed “The Great Internet Blackout” was hailed as a victory for the open internet. Major internet companies and supporters displayed black web pages and notices against proposed US legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), which critics alleged would undermine the infrastructure of the internet by allowing corporations and governments to have unprecedented control over content and services.