#FreeMyInternet blackout now on through 11:59pm tonight

A blogging movement called #FreeMyInternet is now halfway through its first protest—an online blackout that started at midnight this morning and will end at 11:59pm—against the Media Development Authority’s (MDA) new licensing requirements for online news sites. 

The rules involve the payment of a performance bond of $50,000, plus a compliance agreement that means any content on the site that MDA deems disagreeable needs to be removed within 24 hours of instruction. At last count, more than 130 Singapore-based sites have signed up for the blackout and if you’re interested, you still can “join the club” by signing a webform and following the instructions on their website.

An “offline protest” has also been scheduled for this Saturday, June 8, 4pm at Hong Lim Park.