Taking on the FCC, one blurry bum at a time

Creative Jamie Umpherson's newest side project shows the importance of net neutrality by censoring porn.

Jamie Umpherson, a Canadian-bred creative director now based in New York, is using his skills for an important political cause: keeping the net neutral.

In just three days, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on whether or not to repeal net neutrality. For those not up to speed, here’s the “for dummies” version: Network neutrality (net neutrality) is defined as the principle that internet service providers should treat all online content equally. Sounds simple, right?

Well, with the FCC voting on potentially taking that principle away, people are understandably a little worried. In an effort to show the world what the internet would be like without neutrality, Umpherson and some friends embarked on a side project called The FCC Internet Porn Scrambler Plug-In.

The Google Chrome browser extension (not affiliated with the FCC, despite the name) is built to rouse the American people into taking action and fighting for a free and open internet. Once installed, the plug-in instantly scrambles all of the video and image content of a very specific (and popular) genre of online content: porn.

Sites like Pornhub and Youporn will be nothing but static. As Umpherson explained, it gives users a glimpse of a bleak, regulated Internet “by replicating the same restrictions put in place the last time cable companies controlled our content.”

But beyond fun, games and blurred naughty bits, the plug-in also provides a direct link and simple instructions to let the FCC know your feelings about net neutrality.

The FCC Internet PornScrambler Plug-in was designed and developed by Umpherson’s side project, Significant Other Studios.