Librarian of Congress is a pretty obscure position, but it has huge impacts on the Internet and our rights. We need lots of people to contact Congress right now, can you tell your friends?
The last Librarian of Congress was terrible for the Internet. But the next one could be awesome.
As author and Internet freedom activist Cory Doctorow writes:
"The outgoing Librarian of Congress was a technophobe who refused all gadgets more advanced than a fax machine; he was in charge of the nation's copyright, and hence its IT policy." 27 years later, he's finally going, and after a lot of speculation, the president has announced his nominee: the wonderful Carla Hayden. Hayden is an actual librarian, she fought the Patriot Act, lobbies for open access, and the RIAA hates her."
Sounds awesome, right? The Librarian of Congress plays a major role in shaping policies that affect our Internet freedom like fair use, DMCA implementation, and other rules like being able to unlock your phone. If Carla Hayden becomes the next one, it would be really good news for keeping the Internet an open platform for freedom of expression.
There's just one problem: before she can become the head of the Library of Congress and start kicking butt on the Internet's behalf, Congress has to approve her.
We all know that won't be easy with all the partisan nonsense going on these days. The New York Times is reporting that it's anything but a sure thing.
But the reality is that being pro-Internet is not a left or right issue, Carla Hayden's views are shared (and opposed) by members of both parties.
Librarian of Congress is a pretty obscure position. Members of Congress aren't used to getting messages about it. If enough of us speak out right now, we can make sure she gets in, and the Internet will be better for it.
Please sign the petition right now, and then share it with your friends on social media. Let's do this!