Hackers block congressional IPs to protest surveillance

Mary Bruno

Mary Bruno Jun 27, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>Hackers block congressional IPs to protest surveillance</h1>
                <h2><p>A group calling itself Fight for the Future arranged for 10,000 websites to block access for users coming from the U.S. Congress on Friday. The move was a protest against re-authorization of the National Security Agency's controversial surveillance program. According to The Guardian, computers using congressional</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/mary-bruno-crosscut-com/">Mary Bruno</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://dev.cascadepbs.org/content/images/sites/default/files/images/article/gallery/screen-shot-2015-05-29-at-11-44-25-am.png" class="kg-image" alt="Screen" loading="lazy" width="300" height="150"></figure><p>A group calling itself Fight for the Future arranged for 10,000 websites to block access for users coming from the U.S. Congress on Friday. The move was a protest against re-authorization of the National Security Agency's controversial surveillance program. According to <a href="https://www.blackoutcongress.org/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org"><em>The Guardian</em></a>, computers using congressional IP addresses were redirected to a site warning that the blackout will persist until Congress ends mass surveillance.</p><p>“Right now the code affects only visitors from Congress," said Holmes Wilson, a co-founder of Fight for the Future. "We’re willing to keep it up ... until either the USA Freedom Act is dramatically improved or dead, or until the Patriot Act provisions have sunset.” The U.S. Senate reopens debate on aspects of NSA surveillance on Sunday.</p>
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A group calling itself Fight for the Future arranged for 10,000 websites to block access for users coming from the U.S. Congress on Friday. The move was a protest against re-authorization of the National Security Agency's controversial surveillance program. According to The Guardian, computers using congressional IP addresses were redirected to a site warning that the blackout will persist until Congress ends mass surveillance.

“Right now the code affects only visitors from Congress," said Holmes Wilson, a co-founder of Fight for the Future. "We’re willing to keep it up ... until either the USA Freedom Act is dramatically improved or dead, or until the Patriot Act provisions have sunset.” The U.S. Senate reopens debate on aspects of NSA surveillance on Sunday.

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By Mary Bruno

Mary was Crosscut's Editor-in-Chief and Interim Publisher. In more than 25 years as a journalist, she has worked as a writer, editor and editorial director for a variety of print and web publications,