Battle for the Heart of the Internet

The last three weeks has seen an incredible outpouring of anger and resistance against the unjust arrest of Dmitry Sklyarov. August and September will see even more activity as the movement to Free Dmitry continues to build up force.

Dmitry Sklyarov is a Russian Ph.D. student researching security and copy protection in electronic book formats like Adobe's eBook and encrypted PDF. He was arrested by the FBI on July 16th in Las Vegas at the behest of Adobe for alleged violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA). His purported crime? Adapting his academic research to a commercial product, the Advanced eBook Processor (AEBPR), that allows legitimate eBook purchasers to exercise their fair use rights, like backing up electronic books or using them on an alternative operating system.

Media attention has been high -- ranging from local TV news to radical Pacifica Radio to editorials in the New York Times. Protests and demonstrations have been heavily attended. Mailing lists, hacker culture Web sites, newsgroups and private mail are humming with discussions of Dmitry's continued incarceration and ways to get him free.

Why has Dmitry's arrest aroused the attention of so many hackers? For one thing, programmers and other tech professionals see it as a threat to their livelihood and safety. Which one of us could be next? What do I do for my company that could put me in jail? For another, the implications for free speech, academic freedom, and fair use are staggering.

But I think the key reason that Dmitry's arrest is causing so much heat is that it marks a watershed in the history of the online world. If the people who built and developed the Internet let bought-and-paid-for corporate law like the DMCA put programmers in jail, we will have lost control of this medium. The things we love about computer communications will rapidly be lost, and the Internet Mall -- with its thuggish security guards and vapid monoculture -- will become the only Net in the world.

If you're interested in helping to stop this injustice and let the Real World know that hackers will fight for what's right, there are a number of upcoming events that need your meatspace attendance and support. Here's an important and growing list for the month of August. More details and local event info can be found on the Free Sklyarov Calendar.

• Monday August 6: Bail Hearing. Supporters will demonstrate outside the bail hearing for Dmitry Sklyarov on Monday. Others will be inside the courtroom to show the court and prosecutor the level of interest the public has in this case. Events will also occur across the country to promote public awareness and express support.

• Monday August 13: Candlelight March. In San Jose, a candlelight march will wend its way past the public library and through the city to the prison where Dmitry is held. Other events will be held in New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, and many other cities.

• Thursday August 16: Rally at Usenix. Usenix attendees will hold BOF sessions and a rally to bring attention to Dmitry's case.

• Friday August 30: Linux World Expo March. Synchronized nationwide event. In San Francisco during the Linux World Expo, Richard Stallman, Eric Raymond, and other Free Software luminaries will lead a march from LWE at Moscone Center to the prosecutor's offices at the Burton Federal Building.

Future events will include teach-ins at universities as students come back to school in September, fund-raiser benefits for Dmitry's legal defense fund, and further stunts and demonstrations.

There's a lot to be done to get Dmitry Sklyarov free. Letters to congressional representatives, petition drives, declarations of support from civil liberties organizations, and continued media attention. But most of all, your feet, your face, your ideas and your presence are needed in RL.