Net neutrality proposal draws protesters to Google (photos)
Protesters--including the Raging Grannies--gather just outside Google headquarters in response to its joint proposal with Verizon concerning Net neutrality.
In response to a recent announcement from Google and Verizon Communications that they have offered a proposal to policymakers for keeping the Internet open, several dozen people gathered just outside Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., Friday to protest the Internet giant's actions.
Saying the proposal would lead to a more closed and controlled Internet, activists from public-policy advocacy groups MoveOn.org and Free Press led a peaceful demonstration at Google's doorstep, complete with songs of revolution and protest chants.
Outside the main quadrangle on the Google campus in Mountain View, Calif., Google security and a handful of police watch as the group gathers to denounce the proposal as bad for the Internet.
The group hand-delivered a petition containing more than 300,000 signatures to Google's door. Pictured is James Rucker of Save The Internet.
A representative came out to address the crowd, saying that Google does support an open Web, and that the proposal is an ongoing discussion and is only an initial proposal at this time.
The crux of the complaint stems from the fact the current proposal allows wireless providers to skirt open-access rules, a central facet of Net neutrality. Opponents of the proposal say that would allow Internet service providers to restrict access to content and essentially control which content is delivered over their network.
