The popular news ranking site Digg is currently undergoing a full-scale revolt of its users after someone posted the copyright encryption code for HD-DVD discs.
After Digg pulled the posting with the key, users soon got wind and flooded the site with Diggs on the encryption code. Digg has apparently backtracked now and posted the code (it currently has a staggering 29,721 diggs) along with this message:
“But now, after seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear. You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be.”
There’s a lesson here: determined users now have a greater voice and power to make information widely available almost immediately. For better or worst, information –once released– is like Pandora’s Box on the Web. And the masses are using non-traditional media and methods to get that information out there.
