On November 18th, 2012 NOI went dark in solidarity with sites such as Wikipedia and reddit in their protest of the online liberty restricting 'Stop Online Piracy Act' or SOPA and the 'Protect IP Act' or PIPA rolling through the US House and Senate.
SOPA and PIPA won't stop online piracy, but they will have a chilling effect on the ability of organizers to engage others online, and undermine the right to free speech on one of the most important and powerful mediums available to everyday Americans: the internet. SOPA and PIPA will undermine the internet as we know it, and pose a direct threat to online organizers and those who use the internet to drive social change. That's why the New Organizing Institute is taking a stand against a specific piece of legislation for the first time in our history.
Judith Freeman, Executive Director