Announced on January 10, 2014, a large online protest is happening today against the NSA's mass surveillance programs. This event was organized by U.S. congressman and executive director of the Internet activist group Demand Progress David Segal. The date coincides with the first year anniversary of the death of Aaron Swartz.



Internet based protests have a precedence with the SOPA and PIPA protest in 2012 when websites went dark for 12 hours. Aaron Swartz was instrumental in the SOPA and PIPA protests.

You can get involved by clicking the image above and contacting your representatives about the importance of Internet privacy. Urge United States legislators to oppose the FISA Improvements Act, support the USA Freedom Act, and enact protections for non-Americans.

During a discussion regarding the NSA and phone record privacy, MSNBC Host Andrea Mitchell interrupts former Congresswoman Jane Harman to report breaking news regarding let latest news on the Justin Bieber Arrest. News is news, I guess.

For reference, here's the logo in question:

Really? Is this what we're doing now? Seriously?

If you've filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with The Pentagon recently, don't hold your breath because it's going to take longer than usual to hear back. According to MuckRock, the only fax machine used by the Office of the Secretary of Defense to process these requests has been out of order for two weeks, leading to more than 1,000 backlogged requests that have been submitted by journalists in light of the National Security Agency scandals. In responding to the reports, a Defense Department spokesperson projected that the machine probably won't be back up until "sometime in October, but could extend into November."