Photo: Via TeeSpring.Today is Internet Slowdown Day, but there's no need to freak out. Your Internet won't actually be going any slower than any other day (if it does, it's a coincidence). Instead, thousands of sites have banded together in the Battle for the Net, a crusade against cable companies that want the FCC to strike down net neutrality. Should net neutrality meet its end, the Internet would actually slow down, due to access providers' ability to prioritize traffic.
Netflix, Etsy, Reddit, Digg, and Kickstarter are just a few sites that will display ever-present "loading" bars all day today with a link to more information on Battle for the Net. According to Fight for the Future, these infinite loading icons and spinning wheels of death symbolize what surfing the web would be like without net neutrality.
The organizations behind Internet Slowdown Day urge users to submit comments to the FCC before the September 15 deadline in order to avoid this bleak online future. "We realize it's a big ask, but this is the kind of bad Internet legislation that comes along (or gets this close to passing) once a decade or so. If it passes we'll be kicking ourselves for decades," Battle for the Net says.
So, that's the story behind the buffering bars you'll be seeing on some of your favorite sites today. You can also show your support with a Team Internet shirt or hoodie. They have cats on them because, well, of course they do. (Washington Post)