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Can GIFs help save net neutrality? Reddit’s going to find out

In support of the “Day of Action” for net neutrality, one Reddit community is using the best tool available: high-quality GIFs.

Jason Parker Senior Editor / Reviews - Software
Jason Parker has been at CNET for nearly 15 years. He is the senior editor in charge of iOS software and has become an expert reviewer of the software that runs on each new Apple device. He now spends most of his time covering Apple iOS releases and third-party apps.
Jason Parker
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Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET

"Won't someone think of the GIFs?" 

That's what one Reddit user asked who made a looping animation with a scene from the movie "Hot Fuzz." The GIF is cleverly overlaid with speech text to create a funny but important narrative about net neutrality.

The subreddit, called High Quality GIFS (currently pretending as though it's already blocked), is a place where people create and share longer, graphics-intensive animations that have larger file sizes than most things posted to Reddit. As such, the subreddit argues, if cable companies started implementing data caps and throttling access to certain types of content as many people fear, places like HQG might be in jeopardy.

The fight to keep the Internet free and open continues Wednesday on the "Day of Action," a massive online protest meant to stir up grassroots support for the Federal Communications Commission's current net neutrality regulations. Companies including Reddit, Amazon, Netflix, OKCupid, Airbnb, and thousands of others are participating by urging people to call their state and government officials and add comments on Battle for the Net website

As the subreddit points out on its landing page for the protest: "In a perfect world":

Reddit