Nat&Marie

The people who thought the Internet was a fad never got into it in the first place. The rest, purely sat back and didn’t get involved until it was time to hop on the defensive. As the battles changed, from music to movies, from plagiarism to privacy, from democracy to leaderless revolution - the Internet evolved into a tool where thoughts disrupt our lives with little more than a click. 

Some people just aren’t okay with that.

When I grew up, I had no idea that this what the internet would turn into. The Internet is a scene filled with entertainment and politics. Not a single idea can exist without it being up or downvoted. So when the internet over threw political regimes and a single idea about a leaderless revolution against the powerful top tier of  the American ruling class spread like wildfire - people started to take notice. Because, people had found a voice and when hidden by that awesome blanket of anonymity that the web provides, they will express it. 

People have a need to communicate and the web is so perfectly evasive.

So with that said:

5. Kim Dotcom believes that there was a conspiracy to shut down MegaUpload, and sure he’s in trouble in the U.S. but he’s not giving up so easily! Dotcom is threatening to bring back Megaupload, but it may return as Megabox a free service aimed to revolutionize music by paying artists directly. RIAA doesn’t like this at all.

4. Facebook, amidst controversy over their stocks, they have available a Male-Male or Female-Female marriage symbol, as well as the option to disclose a civil union. Facebook is a much more inclusive space and should gets some props for that.

3. Monday, hundreds of thousands of PC users will lose access to the web through no fault of their own. Ages ago a group of Eastern European criminals infected half a million PC browsers to go to websites owned by the criminals. They cashed in on the ads and made buckets. Now FBI intends to shut down those sites and it may have a negative effect on those who have no clue they are infected - go here to see if you’re PC is malware free.

2. Internet Victory! EU votes against ACTA!! Saves the Internet for another few days. 

1. Whistle-blowing site Wikileaks begins to release the “Syria Files” a collection of 2 million emails that discuss the state of affairs of Syria and will allegedly embarrass their opponents. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange wasn’t at the launch today because he’s seeking political asylum, but Wikileaks is working in conjunction with AP to release the documents. Oh lord.

So that’s it for the Five Bytes online activism issue. Hope you learned that the web is a battlefield and we’re all soldiers. 

Keep Calm.

Carry On.

Tweet.