10K websites block Congress in Patriot Act protest

Thousands of websites are blocking Congress’s access to their sites in a show of force to protest the Patriot Act. Led by the online activist group Fight for the Future, more than 10,000 sites have added code that redirects any visitors from Internet protocol (IP) addresses stemming from Congress away from their site and towards a protest page.

“Congress: This is a blackout,” the site reads. “We are blocking your access until you end mass surveillance laws.” Instead of renewing or reforming the three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act, the activist group wants Congress to let then totally expire. “The real answer is to end all authorities used to conduct mass surveillance,” Fight for the Future says on the protest page. “Until you do, thousands of websites have blocked your access, and more are joining every day.”