[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.12,0:00:07.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,AARON SWARTZ: So, for me, it all started with\Na phone call. It was September—not last
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.14,0:00:11.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,year, but the year before that, September\N2010. And I got a phone call from my friend
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.62,0:00:18.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Peter. "Aaron," he said, "there’s an amazing\Nbill that you have to take a look at." "What
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.02,0:00:24.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is it?" I said. "It’s called COICA, the\NCombating Online Infringement and Counterfeiting
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.68,0:00:29.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Act." "But, Peter," I said, "I don’t care\Nabout copyright law. Maybe you’re right.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.77,0:00:33.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe Hollywood is right. But either way,\Nwhat’s the big deal? I’m not going to
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.22,0:00:38.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,waste my life fighting over a little issue\Nlike copyright. Healthcare, financial reform—those
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.34,0:00:44.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are the issues that I work on, not something\Nobscure like copyright law." I could hear
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.16,0:00:48.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Peter grumbling in the background. "Look,\NI don’t have time to argue with you," he
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.88,0:00:53.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,said, "but it doesn’t matter for right now,\Nbecause this isn’t a bill about copyright."
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.44,0:01:00.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"It’s not?" "No," he said. "It’s a bill\Nabout the freedom to connect." Now I was listening.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.04,0:01:05.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Peter explained what you’ve all probably\Nlong since learned, that this bill would let
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.23,0:01:10.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the government devise a list of websites that\NAmericans weren’t allowed to visit. On the
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.26,0:01:14.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,next day, I came up with lots of ways to try\Nto explain this to people. I said it was a
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.58,0:01:19.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,great firewall of America. I said it was an\NInternet black list. I said it was online
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.80,0:01:24.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,censorship. But I think it’s worth taking\Na step back, putting aside all the rhetoric
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.81,0:01:30.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and just thinking for a moment about how radical\Nthis bill really was. Sure, there are lots
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.20,0:01:35.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of times when the government makes rules about\Nspeech. If you slander a private figure, if
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.01,0:01:39.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you buy a television ad that lies to people,\Nif you have a wild party that plays booming
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.92,0:01:45.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,music all night, in all these cases, the government\Ncan come stop you. But this was something
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.36,0:01:49.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,radically different. It wasn’t the government\Nwent to people and asked them to take down
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.37,0:01:54.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,particular material that was illegal; it shut\Ndown whole websites. Essentially, it stopped
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.65,0:02:00.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Americans from communicating entirely with\Ncertain groups. There’s nothing really like
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.32,0:02:04.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it in U.S. law. If you play loud music all\Nnight, the government doesn’t slap you with
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.32,0:02:08.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an order requiring you be mute for the next\Ncouple weeks. They don’t say nobody can
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.95,0:02:13.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,make any more noise inside your house. There’s\Na specific complaint, which they ask you to
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.70,0:02:18.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,specifically remedy, and then your life goes\Non.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.26,0:02:22.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The closest example I could find was a case\Nwhere the government was at war with an adult
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.05,0:02:26.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bookstore. The place kept selling pornography;\Nthe government kept getting the porn declared
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.07,0:02:30.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,illegal. And then, frustrated, they decided\Nto shut the whole bookstore down. But even
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.88,0:02:36.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that was eventually declared unconstitutional,\Na violation of the First Amendment.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.15,0:02:42.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, you might say, surely COICA would get\Ndeclared unconstitutional, as well. But I
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.06,0:02:46.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,knew that the Supreme Court had a blind spot\Naround the First Amendment, more than anything
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.98,0:02:52.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,else, more than slander or libel, more than\Npornography, more even than child pornography.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.91,0:02:57.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their blind spot was copyright. When it came\Nto copyright, it was like the part of the
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.40,0:03:01.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,justices’ brains shut off, and they just\Ntotally forgot about the First Amendment.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.74,0:03:05.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You got the sense that, deep down, they didn’t\Neven think the First Amendment applied when
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.46,0:03:10.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,copyright was at issue, which means that if\Nyou did want to censor the Internet, if you
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.44,0:03:16.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wanted to come up with some way that the government\Ncould shut down access to particular websites,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.12,0:03:20.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this bill might be the only way to do it.\NIf it was about pornography, it probably would
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.82,0:03:25.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,get overturned by courts, just like the adult\Nbookstore case. But if you claimed it was
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.03,0:03:28.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about copyright, it might just sneak through.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.07,0:03:32.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that was especially terrifying, because,\Nas you know, because copyright is everywhere.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.06,0:03:35.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you want to shut down WikiLeaks, it’s\Na bit of a stretch to claim that you’re
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.46,0:03:39.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,doing it because they have too much pornography,\Nbut it’s not hard at all to claim that WikiLeaks
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.78,0:03:44.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is violating copyright, because everything\Nis copyrighted. This speech, you know, the
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.02,0:03:49.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thing I’m giving right now, these words\Nare copyrighted. And it’s so easy to accidentally
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.04,0:03:53.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,copy something, so easy, in fact, that the\Nleading Republican supporter of COICA, Orrin
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.97,0:04:00.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hatch, had illegally copied a bunch of code\Ninto his own Senate website. So if even Orrin
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.17,0:04:05.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hatch’s Senate website was found to be violating\Ncopyright law, what’s the chance that they
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.84,0:04:12.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wouldn’t find something they could pin on\Nany of us?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.01,0:04:17.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There’s a battle going on right now, a battle\Nto define everything that happens on the Internet
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.75,0:04:22.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in terms of traditional things that the law\Nunderstands. Is sharing a video on BitTorrent
Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.71,0:04:28.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like shoplifting from a movie store? Or is\Nit like loaning a videotape to a friend? Is
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.46,0:04:33.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reloading a webpage over and over again like\Na peaceful virtual sit-in or a violent smashing
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.62,0:04:39.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of shop windows? Is the freedom to connect\Nlike freedom of speech or like the freedom
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.78,0:04:41.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to murder?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.98,0:04:47.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This bill would be a huge, potentially permanent,\Nloss. If we lost the ability to communicate
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.43,0:04:52.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with each other over the Internet, it would\Nbe a change to the Bill of Rights. The freedoms
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.59,0:04:56.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,guaranteed in our Constitution, the freedoms\Nour country had been built on, would be suddenly
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.90,0:05:02.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,deleted. New technology, instead of bringing\Nus greater freedom, would have snuffed out
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.27,0:05:08.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fundamental rights we had always taken for\Ngranted. And I realized that day, talking
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.02,0:05:14.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to Peter, that I couldn’t let that happen.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.49,0:05:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it was going to happen. The bill, COICA,\Nwas introduced on September 20th, 2010, a
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.00,0:05:24.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Monday, and in the press release heralding\Nthe introduction of this bill, way at the
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.92,0:05:31.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bottom, it was scheduled for a vote on September\N23rd, just three days later. And while, of
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.02,0:05:35.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,course, there had to be a vote—you can’t\Npass a bill without a vote—the results of
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.85,0:05:40.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that vote were already a foregone conclusion,\Nbecause if you looked at the introduction
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.05,0:05:45.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the law, it wasn’t just introduced by\None rogue eccentric member of Congress; it
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.21,0:05:50.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was introduced by the chair of the Judiciary\NCommittee and co-sponsored by nearly all the
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.08,0:05:55.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,other members, Republicans and Democrats.\NSo, yes, there’d be a vote, but it wouldn’t
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.04,0:05:59.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,be much of a surprise, because nearly everyone\Nwho was voting had signed their name to the
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.70,0:06:01.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bill before it was even introduced.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.99,0:06:07.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, I can’t stress how unusual this is.\NThis is emphatically not how Congress works.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.11,0:06:10.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I’m not talking about how Congress should\Nwork, the way you see on Schoolhouse Rock.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.39,0:06:15.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, this is not the way Congress actually\Nworks. I mean, I think we all know Congress
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.29,0:06:20.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a dead zone of deadlock and dysfunction.\NThere are months of debates and horse trading
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.58,0:06:24.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and hearings and stall tactics. I mean, you\Nknow, first you’re supposed to announce
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.20,0:06:28.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you’re going to hold hearings on a\Nproblem, and then days of experts talking
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.14,0:06:32.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about the issue, and then you propose a possible\Nsolution, you bring the experts back for their
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.14,0:06:35.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thoughts on that, and then other members have\Ndifferent solutions, and they propose those,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.76,0:06:39.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you spend of bunch of time debating, and\Nthere’s a bunch of trading, they get members
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.13,0:06:43.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over to your cause. And finally, you spend\Nhours talking one on one with the different
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.17,0:06:46.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people in the debate, try and come back with\Nsome sort of compromise, which you hash out
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.92,0:06:50.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in endless backroom meetings. And then, when\Nthat’s all done, you take that, and you
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.69,0:06:55.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,go through it line by line in public to see\Nif anyone has any objections or wants to make
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.26,0:07:01.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,any changes. And then you have the vote. It’s\Na painful, arduous process. You don’t just
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.22,0:07:05.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,introduce a bill on Monday and then pass it\Nunanimously a couple days later. That just
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.95,0:07:07.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,doesn’t happen in Congress.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.54,0:07:13.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this time, it was going to happen. And\Nit wasn’t because there were no disagreements
Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.23,0:07:16.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the issue. There are always disagreements.\NSome senators thought the bill was much too
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.81,0:07:20.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,weak and needed to be stronger: As it was\Nintroduced, the bill only allowed the government
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.62,0:07:24.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to shut down websites, and these senators,\Nthey wanted any company in the world to have
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.34,0:07:30.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the power to get a website shut down. Other\Nsenators thought it was a drop too strong.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.36,0:07:33.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But somehow, in the kind of thing you never\Nsee in Washington, they had all managed to
Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.40,0:07:38.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,put their personal differences aside to come\Ntogether and support one bill they were persuaded
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.71,0:07:45.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they could all live with: a bill that would\Ncensor the Internet. And when I saw this,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.12,0:07:50.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I realized: Whoever was behind this was good.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.25,0:07:55.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, the typical way you make good things\Nhappen in Washington is you find a bunch of
Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.75,0:07:59.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wealthy companies who agree with you. Social\NSecurity didn’t get passed because some
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.55,0:08:04.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,brave politicians decided their good conscience\Ncouldn’t possibly let old people die starving
Dialogue: 0,0:08:04.44,0:08:08.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the streets. I mean, are you kidding me?\NSocial Security got passed because John D.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.79,0:08:12.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Rockefeller was sick of having to take money\Nout of his profits to pay for his workers’
Dialogue: 0,0:08:12.79,0:08:17.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pension funds. Why do that, when you can just\Nlet the government take money from the workers?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:17.87,0:08:22.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, my point is not that Social Security\Nis a bad thing—I think it’s fantastic.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.37,0:08:26.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It’s just that the way you get the government\Nto do fantastic things is you find a big company
Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.86,0:08:32.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,willing to back them. The problem is, of course,\Nthat big companies aren’t really huge fans
Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.67,0:08:36.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of civil liberties. You know, it’s not that\Nthey’re against them; it’s just there’s
Dialogue: 0,0:08:36.22,0:08:38.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not much money in it.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.20,0:08:42.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, if you’ve been reading the press, you\Nprobably didn’t hear this part of the story.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:42.85,0:08:46.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As Hollywood has been telling it, the great,\Ngood copyright bill they were pushing was
Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.24,0:08:50.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stopped by the evil Internet companies who\Nmake millions of dollars off of copyright
Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.24,0:08:55.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,infringement. But it just—it really wasn’t\Ntrue. I mean, I was in there, in the meetings
Dialogue: 0,0:08:55.28,0:09:00.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the Internet companies—actually probably\Nall here today. And, you know, if all their
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.50,0:09:04.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,profits depended on copyright infringement,\Nthey would have put a lot more money into
Dialogue: 0,0:09:04.42,0:09:10.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,changing copyright law. The fact is, the big\NInternet companies, they would do just fine
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.20,0:09:13.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if this bill passed. I mean, they wouldn’t\Nbe thrilled about it, but I doubt they would
Dialogue: 0,0:09:13.81,0:09:19.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even have a noticeable dip in their stock\Nprice. So they were against it, but they were
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.38,0:09:23.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,against it, like the rest of us, on grounds\Nprimarily of principle. And principle doesn’t
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.80,0:09:28.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have a lot of money in the budget to spend\Non lobbyists. So they were practical about
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.80,0:09:31.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it. "Look," they said, "this bill is going\Nto pass. In fact, it’s probably going to
Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.98,0:09:36.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pass unanimously. As much as we try, this\Nis not a train we’re going to be able to
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.71,0:09:40.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stop. So, we’re not going to support it—we\Ncouldn’t support it. But in opposition,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.78,0:09:45.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,let’s just try and make it better." So that\Nwas the strategy: lobby to make the bill better.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.43,0:09:49.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They had lists of changes that would make\Nthe bill less obnoxious or less expensive
Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.01,0:09:53.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for them, or whatever. But the fact remained\Nat the end of the day, it was going to be
Dialogue: 0,0:09:53.10,0:09:56.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a bill that was going to censor the Internet,\Nand there was nothing we could do to stop
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.60,0:09:58.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.96,0:10:03.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I did what you always do when you’re\Na little guy facing a terrible future with
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.57,0:10:10.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,long odds and little hope of success: I started\Nan online petition. I called all my friends,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.25,0:10:15.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we stayed up all night setting up a website\Nfor this new group, Demand Progress, with
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.93,0:10:22.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an online petition opposing this noxious bill,\Nand I sent it to a few friends. Now, I’ve
Dialogue: 0,0:10:22.23,0:10:26.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,done a few online petitions before. I’ve\Nworked at some of the biggest groups in the
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.04,0:10:32.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,world that do online petitions. I’ve written\Na ton of them and read even more. But I’ve
Dialogue: 0,0:10:32.21,0:10:37.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,never seen anything like this. Starting from\Nliterally nothing, we went to 10,000 signers,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.89,0:10:44.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then 100,000 signers, and then 200,000 signers\Nand 300,000 signers, in just a couple of weeks.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:45.05,0:10:48.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it wasn’t just signing a name. We asked\Nthose people to call Congress, to call urgently.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:48.91,0:10:53.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was a vote coming up this week, in just\Na couple days, and we had to stop it. And
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.45,0:10:56.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the same time, we told the press about\Nit, about this incredible online petition
Dialogue: 0,0:10:56.98,0:11:01.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that was taking off. And we met with the staff\Nof members of Congress and pleaded with them
Dialogue: 0,0:11:01.40,0:11:04.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to withdraw their support for the bill. I\Nmean, it was amazing. It was huge. The power
Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.66,0:11:11.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the Internet rose up in force against this\Nbill. And then it passed unanimously.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.42,0:11:16.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, to be fair, several of the members gave\Nnice speeches before casting their vote, and
Dialogue: 0,0:11:16.56,0:11:20.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in their speeches they said their office had\Nbeen overwhelmed with comments about the First
Dialogue: 0,0:11:20.11,0:11:24.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Amendment concerns behind this bill, comments\Nthat had them very worried, so worried, in
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.63,0:11:29.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fact, they weren’t sure that they still\Nsupported the bill. But even though they didn’t
Dialogue: 0,0:11:29.23,0:11:32.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,support it, they were going to vote for it\Nanyway, they said, because they needed to
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.48,0:11:37.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,keep the process moving, and they were sure\Nany problems that were had with it could be
Dialogue: 0,0:11:37.10,0:11:42.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fixed later. So, I’m going to ask you, does\Nthis sound like Washington, D.C., to you?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:42.59,0:11:47.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Since when do members of Congress vote for\Nthings that they oppose just to keep the process
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.12,0:11:53.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,moving? I mean, whoever was behind this was\Ngood.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:53.25,0:11:58.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then, suddenly, the process stopped. Senator\NRon Wyden, the Democrat from Oregon, put a
Dialogue: 0,0:11:58.87,0:12:04.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hold on the bill. Giving a speech in which\Nhe called it a nuclear bunker-buster bomb
Dialogue: 0,0:12:04.25,0:12:08.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,aimed at the Internet, he announced he would\Nnot allow it to pass without changes. And
Dialogue: 0,0:12:08.43,0:12:13.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as you may know, a single senator can’t\Nactually stop a bill by themselves, but they
Dialogue: 0,0:12:13.80,0:12:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can delay it. By objecting to a bill, they\Ncan demand Congress spend a bunch of time
Dialogue: 0,0:12:19.00,0:12:24.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,debating it before getting it passed. And\NSenator Wyden did. He bought us time—a lot
Dialogue: 0,0:12:24.90,0:12:28.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of time, as it turned out. His delay held\Nall the way through the end of that session
Dialogue: 0,0:12:28.06,0:12:32.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of Congress, so that when the bill came back,\Nit had to start all over again. And since
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.05,0:12:35.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they were starting all over again, they figured,\Nwhy not give it a new name? And that’s when
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.90,0:12:39.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it began being called PIPA, and eventually\NSOPA.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:39.85,0:12:45.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So there was probably a year or two of delay\Nthere. And in retrospect, we used that time
Dialogue: 0,0:12:45.80,0:12:50.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to lay the groundwork for what came later.\NBut that’s not what it felt like at the
Dialogue: 0,0:12:50.74,0:12:55.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,time. At the time, it felt like we were going\Naround telling people that these bills were
Dialogue: 0,0:12:55.20,0:13:00.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,awful, and in return, they told us that they\Nthought we were crazy. I mean, we were kids
Dialogue: 0,0:13:00.87,0:13:04.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wandering around waving our arms about how\Nthe government was going to censor the Internet.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.62,0:13:09.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It does sound a little crazy. You can ask\NLarry tomorrow. I was constantly telling him
Dialogue: 0,0:13:09.47,0:13:13.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what was going on, trying to get him involved,\Nand I’m pretty sure he just thought I was
Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.23,0:13:20.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,exaggerating. Even I began to doubt myself.\NIt was a rough period. But when the bill came
Dialogue: 0,0:13:20.51,0:13:24.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,back and started moving again, suddenly all\Nthe work we had done started coming together.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.45,0:13:28.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All the folks we talked to about it suddenly\Nbegan getting really involved and getting
Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.01,0:13:32.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,others involved. Everything started snowballing.\NIt happened so fast.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:32.42,0:13:36.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember there was one week where I was\Nhaving dinner with a friend in the technology
Dialogue: 0,0:13:36.69,0:13:41.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,industry, and he asked what I worked on, and\NI told him about this bill. And he said, "Wow!
Dialogue: 0,0:13:41.86,0:13:48.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You need to tell people about that." And I\Njust groaned. And then, just a few weeks later,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:49.65,0:13:53.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember I was chatting with this cute girl\Non the subway, and she wasn’t in technology
Dialogue: 0,0:13:53.10,0:13:58.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at all, but when she heard that I was, she\Nturned to me very seriously and said, "You
Dialogue: 0,0:13:58.11,0:14:05.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,know, we have to stop 'SOAP.'" So, progress,\Nright?
Dialogue: 0,0:14:05.51,0:14:12.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But, you know, I think that story illustrates\Nwhat happened during those couple weeks, because
Dialogue: 0,0:14:13.47,0:14:17.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the reason we won wasn’t because I was working\Non it or Reddit was working on it or Google
Dialogue: 0,0:14:17.69,0:14:22.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was working on it or Tumblr or any other particular\Nperson. It was because there was this enormous
Dialogue: 0,0:14:22.51,0:14:28.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mental shift in our industry. Everyone was\Nthinking of ways they could help, often really
Dialogue: 0,0:14:28.98,0:14:33.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,clever, ingenious ways. People made videos.\NThey made infographics. They started PACs.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:33.44,0:14:38.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They designed ads. They bought billboards.\NThey wrote news stories. They held meetings.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:38.25,0:14:43.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everybody saw it as their responsibility to\Nhelp. I remember at one point during this
Dialogue: 0,0:14:43.65,0:14:47.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,period I held a meeting with a bunch of startups\Nin New York, trying to encourage everyone
Dialogue: 0,0:14:47.39,0:14:51.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to get involved, and I felt a bit like I was\Nhosting one of these Clinton Global Initiative
Dialogue: 0,0:14:51.36,0:14:54.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,meetings, where I got to turn to every startup\Nin the—every startup founder in the room
Dialogue: 0,0:14:54.62,0:14:58.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and be like, "What are you going to do? And\Nwhat are you going to do?" And everyone was
Dialogue: 0,0:14:58.08,0:15:00.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,trying to one-up each other.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:00.20,0:15:05.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If there was one day the shift crystallized,\NI think it was the day of the hearings on
Dialogue: 0,0:15:05.03,0:15:09.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,SOPA in the House, the day we got that phrase,\N"It’s no longer OK not to understand how
Dialogue: 0,0:15:09.87,0:15:15.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Internet works." There was just something\Nabout watching those clueless members of Congress
Dialogue: 0,0:15:15.32,0:15:19.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,debate the bill, watching them insist they\Ncould regulate the Internet and a bunch of
Dialogue: 0,0:15:19.21,0:15:24.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,nerds couldn’t possibly stop them. They\Nreally brought it home for people that this
Dialogue: 0,0:15:24.13,0:15:30.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was happening, that Congress was going to\Nbreak the Internet, and it just didn’t care.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:30.41,0:15:35.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember when this moment first hit me.\NI was at an event, and I was talking, and
Dialogue: 0,0:15:35.68,0:15:40.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I got introduced to a U.S. senator, one of\Nthe strongest proponents of the original COICA
Dialogue: 0,0:15:40.09,0:15:45.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bill, in fact. And I asked him why, despite\Nbeing such a progressive, despite giving a
Dialogue: 0,0:15:45.09,0:15:49.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,speech in favor of civil liberties, why he\Nwas supporting a bill that would censor the
Dialogue: 0,0:15:49.86,0:15:56.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Internet. And, you know, that typical politician\Nsmile he had suddenly faded from his face,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:56.10,0:16:01.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and his eyes started burning this fiery red.\NAnd he started shouting at me, said, "Those
Dialogue: 0,0:16:01.08,0:16:05.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people on the Internet, they think they can\Nget away with anything! They think they can
Dialogue: 0,0:16:05.28,0:16:09.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just put anything up there, and there’s\Nnothing we can do to stop them! They put up
Dialogue: 0,0:16:09.69,0:16:13.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,everything! They put up our nuclear missiles,\Nand they just laugh at us! Well, we’re going
Dialogue: 0,0:16:13.99,0:16:17.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to show them! There’s got to be laws on\Nthe Internet! It’s got to be under control!"
Dialogue: 0,0:16:17.90,0:16:24.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, as far as I know, nobody has ever put\Nup the U.S.'s nuclear missiles on the Internet.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:24.17,0:16:30.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, it's not something I’ve heard about.\NBut that’s sort of the point. He wasn’t
Dialogue: 0,0:16:30.13,0:16:34.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,having a rational concern, right? It was this\Nirrational fear that things were out of control.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:34.97,0:16:40.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here was this man, a United States senator,\Nand those people on the Internet, they were
Dialogue: 0,0:16:40.28,0:16:47.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just mocking him. They had to be brought under\Ncontrol. Things had to be under control. And
Dialogue: 0,0:16:47.24,0:16:52.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think that was the attitude of Congress.\NAnd just as seeing that fire in that senator’s
Dialogue: 0,0:16:52.48,0:16:58.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,eyes scared me, I think those hearings scared\Na lot of people. They saw this wasn’t the
Dialogue: 0,0:16:58.07,0:17:01.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,attitude of a thoughtful government trying\Nto resolve trade-offs in order to best represent
Dialogue: 0,0:17:01.99,0:17:08.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,its citizens. This was more like the attitude\Nof a tyrant. And so the citizens fought back.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:12.42,0:17:16.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The wheels came off the bus pretty quickly\Nafter that hearing. First the Republican senators
Dialogue: 0,0:17:16.95,0:17:21.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pulled out, and then the White House issued\Na statement opposing the bill, and then the
Dialogue: 0,0:17:21.84,0:17:26.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Democrats, left all alone out there, announced\Nthey were putting the bill on hold so they
Dialogue: 0,0:17:26.45,0:17:32.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could have a few further discussions before\Nthe official vote. And that was when, as hard
Dialogue: 0,0:17:32.20,0:17:38.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as it was for me to believe, after all this,\Nwe had won. The thing that everyone said was
Dialogue: 0,0:17:38.29,0:17:41.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,impossible, that some of the biggest companies\Nin the world had written off as kind of a
Dialogue: 0,0:17:41.84,0:17:48.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pipe dream, had happened. We did it. We won.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:51.29,0:17:56.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then we started rubbing it in. You all\Nknow what happened next. Wikipedia went black.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:56.99,0:18:03.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Reddit went black. Craigslist went black.\NThe phone lines on Capitol Hill flat-out melted.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:03.06,0:18:06.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Members of Congress started rushing to issue\Nstatements retracting their support for the
Dialogue: 0,0:18:06.98,0:18:12.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bill that they were promoting just a couple\Ndays ago. And it was just ridiculous. I mean,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:12.40,0:18:16.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there’s a chart from the time that captures\Nit pretty well. It says something like "January
Dialogue: 0,0:18:16.98,0:18:21.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,14th" on one side and has this big, long list\Nof names supporting the bill, and then just
Dialogue: 0,0:18:21.44,0:18:26.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a few lonely people opposing it; and on the\Nother side, it says "January 15th," and now
Dialogue: 0,0:18:26.88,0:18:31.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it’s totally reversed—everyone is opposing\Nit, just a few lonely names still hanging
Dialogue: 0,0:18:31.54,0:18:33.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on in support.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:33.32,0:18:40.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, this really was unprecedented. Don’t\Ntake my word for it, but ask former Senator
Dialogue: 0,0:18:40.69,0:18:47.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Chris Dodd, now the chief lobbyist for Hollywood.\NHe admitted, after he lost, that he had masterminded
Dialogue: 0,0:18:47.51,0:18:52.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the whole evil plan. And he told The New York\NTimes he had never seen anything like it during
Dialogue: 0,0:18:52.87,0:18:59.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his many years in Congress. And everyone I’ve\Nspoken to agrees. The people rose up, and
Dialogue: 0,0:18:59.12,0:19:04.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they caused a sea change in Washington—not\Nthe press, which refused to cover the story—just
Dialogue: 0,0:19:04.05,0:19:09.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,coincidentally, their parent companies all\Nhappened to be lobbying for the bill; not
Dialogue: 0,0:19:09.13,0:19:14.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the politicians, who were pretty much unanimously\Nin favor of it; and not the companies, who
Dialogue: 0,0:19:14.28,0:19:19.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had all but given up trying to stop it and\Ndecided it was inevitable. It was really stopped
Dialogue: 0,0:19:19.13,0:19:26.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by the people, the people themselves. They\Nkilled the bill dead, so dead that when members
Dialogue: 0,0:19:28.87,0:19:33.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of Congress propose something now that even\Ntouches the Internet, they have to give a
Dialogue: 0,0:19:33.71,0:19:40.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,long speech beforehand about how it is definitely\Nnot like SOPA; so dead that when you ask congressional
Dialogue: 0,0:19:41.40,0:19:46.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,staffers about it, they groan and shake their\Nheads like it’s all a bad dream they’re
Dialogue: 0,0:19:46.88,0:19:53.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,trying really hard to forget; so dead that\Nit’s kind of hard to believe this story,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:55.39,0:20:01.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hard to remember how close it all came to\Nactually passing, hard to remember how this
Dialogue: 0,0:20:01.68,0:20:08.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could have gone any other way. But it wasn’t\Na dream or a nightmare; it was all very real.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:08.99,0:20:15.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it will happen again. Sure, it will have\Nyet another name, and maybe a different excuse,
Dialogue: 0,0:20:15.87,0:20:21.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and probably do its damage in a different\Nway. But make no mistake: The enemies of the
Dialogue: 0,0:20:21.19,0:20:26.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,freedom to connect have not disappeared. The\Nfire in those politicians’ eyes hasn’t
Dialogue: 0,0:20:26.68,0:20:32.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,been put out. There are a lot of people, a\Nlot of powerful people, who want to clamp
Dialogue: 0,0:20:32.32,0:20:37.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,down on the Internet. And to be honest, there\Naren’t a whole lot who have a vested interest
Dialogue: 0,0:20:37.07,0:20:42.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in protecting it from all of that. Even some\Nof the biggest companies, some of the biggest
Dialogue: 0,0:20:42.64,0:20:46.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Internet companies, to put it frankly, would\Nbenefit from a world in which their little
Dialogue: 0,0:20:46.73,0:20:51.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,competitors could get censored. We can’t\Nlet that happen.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:51.54,0:20:57.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, I’ve told this as a personal story,\Npartly because I think big stories like this
Dialogue: 0,0:20:57.01,0:21:01.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one are just more interesting at human scale.\NThe director J.D. Walsh says good stories
Dialogue: 0,0:21:01.84,0:21:06.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,should be like the poster for Transformers.\NThere’s a huge evil robot on the left side
Dialogue: 0,0:21:06.63,0:21:12.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the poster and a huge, big army on the\Nright side of the poster. And in the middle,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:12.47,0:21:17.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the bottom, there’s just a small family\Ntrapped in the middle. Big stories need human
Dialogue: 0,0:21:17.87,0:21:22.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stakes. But mostly, it’s a personal story,\Nbecause I didn’t have time to research any
Dialogue: 0,0:21:22.71,0:21:29.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the other part of it. But that’s kind\Nof the point. We won this fight because everyone
Dialogue: 0,0:21:29.12,0:21:35.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,made themselves the hero of their own story.\NEveryone took it as their job to save this
Dialogue: 0,0:21:35.93,0:21:39.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,crucial freedom. They threw themselves into\Nit. They did whatever they could think of
Dialogue: 0,0:21:39.78,0:21:46.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to do. They didn’t stop to ask anyone for\Npermission. You remember how Hacker News readers
Dialogue: 0,0:21:46.45,0:21:53.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,spontaneously organized this boycott of GoDaddy\Nover their support of SOPA? Nobody told them
Dialogue: 0,0:21:53.19,0:21:58.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they could do that. A few people even thought\Nit was a bad idea. It didn’t matter. The
Dialogue: 0,0:21:58.38,0:22:05.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,senators were right: The Internet really is\Nout of control. But if we forget that, if
Dialogue: 0,0:22:05.97,0:22:10.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we let Hollywood rewrite the story so it was\Njust big company Google who stopped the bill,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:10.62,0:22:14.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if we let them persuade us we didn’t actually\Nmake a difference, if we start seeing it as
Dialogue: 0,0:22:14.61,0:22:19.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,someone else’s responsibility to do this\Nwork and it’s our job just to go home and
Dialogue: 0,0:22:19.22,0:22:25.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pop some popcorn and curl up on the couch\Nto watch Transformers, well, then next time
Dialogue: 0,0:22:25.54,0:22:32.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they might just win. Let’s not let that\Nhappen.