# @alexisohanian on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/BPbImUBgS3k
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/30752899-alexisohanian-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/4053ffa28e.jpg
- **Posted:** 2017-01-18T23:21:47.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Alexis Ohanian Sr. (@alexisohanian) — https://gondola.cc/alexisohanian

## Caption

5 years ago, on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, Reddit went dark. We shut down the site for the day and encouraged people to read over the proposed bills #SOPA and #PIPA and call their Congresspeople in protest. These bills would have fundamentally broken the internet and were considered inevitable just a few months earlier -- after this day, they were considered unthinkable. Tens of thousands of websites joined in; Wikipedia went dark, sites like Google changed their logo in support, and the NY tech community protested outside our Senators' offices. And I even put on a tie for the event.

It was an amazing feeling, seeing a totally grassroots movement succeed to protect the open internet, the very platform that made it all possible. We knew we'd have to always stay vigilant, but I worry that we're going to have to work even harder in the years to come. We're up for the challenge. Let this be a beginning...

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 737
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 18

## Tags

sopa, pipa

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