Google's logo in support of several major websites going offline.

A decade ago, the Internet was not capable of this type of movement. The Internet didn’t have a voice and they couldn’t possibly have said no to a power like Washington. The voices of web users were not initially taken into consideration in legislature. But on Jan. 18 that all changed.

The Internet was finally able to demonstrate its full power, remaining firm in their belief that the web is an unrestricted space that cannot and will not tolerate censorship.

The Internet won this battle because Washington was not prepared for the type of “weapons” that it has and the influence of its users.

Weapon number one: Speed and Ease

It is as easy as a click and a few buttons to sign a petition on the Internet. The ability to share information through various and abundant social websites allows for quick circulation of the document. For example, Google, a big supporter of the protests, has launched a “End Piracy, Not Liberty” campaign against the Acts. Their user-friendly website not only encourages the signing of the petition but also the sharing of it. With the clink of a hyperlink, a user can share it on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.

Weapon number two: Disengage

It’s true when they say “you never miss something until it’s gone.” Wikipedia, one of the most visited website on the net, along with over 50,000 other online websites, went dark for 24 hours as a sign of protest. What’s the best way to counter a bully? Don’t play. Don’t get frustrated and don’t let them get to you. These thousands of websites just walked away and it made more of a statement than if every single one of them had taken up the picket line and chanted for 24 hours. The absence of their presence on the web indicated a seriousness about their protest that was previously non-existant.

Weapon number three: Numbers

Over two million SOPA-related tweets went out last Wednesday. More than eight million US users looked up their congressional representative on Wikipedia in order to protest. And that Google petition I mentioned earlier, 4.5 million people had signed it as of last Thursday, a mere 24 hours since the day of protests. The web can connect to so much of the public sector that the government simply cannot. Not to mention, statistics like these are so easily calculated on the web. Every time we search SOPA and PIPA on Google.com or tweet about it on Twitter, it keeps the topic in the limelight.

The Internet knows no censorship and as long as users can help it, it will stay that way. Washington might be broken but the Internet will not follow.  As long as these voices remain and consolidate together, the internet will remain independent of the policies of legislature and Congress.