Web-Savvy Lawmakers Call for Internet Bill of Rights

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) called for Congress and the Internet community to adopt a digital bill of rights.

Since the Internet mobilized on Jan. 18 to voice its collective opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act, the Internet community and its defenders in Congress have been looking at ways to use the Web to change the power structure in Washington (DC). "What the Internet community did [in January] was create a fear," said Rep Issa, who has posted his idea for a digital citizens bill of rights on his "Keep the Web Open" site. "Fear of being exposed is very powerful. No [congressional] member wants to be thought of as not caring about their constituency." The beauty of Jan. 18, said Sen Wyden, was that it cut out the middleman, something that is all but unheard of in Washington. "We're trying to change the power in Washington," said Wyden. "In the past, the way you got the word out was through a phone tree. What we're talking about is building a system that will create a signal throughout the community."