- Born:
- October 3, 1947, near Pinedale, Wyoming, U.S.
- Died:
- February 7, 2018, San Francisco, California (aged 70)
John Perry Barlow
-
Who was John Perry Barlow?
John Perry Barlow (1947–2018) was an American author, lyricist, and cyberspace activist. Barlow is most known as the cofounder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in 1990, an organization that defends civil liberties in the digital world.
Before his work with the EFF, Barlow wrote lyrics for the Grateful Dead, including "Cassidy" and "Mexicali Blues" with Bob Weir. In the late 1980s, he became an Internet user and advocate, and his 1990 essay is credited with popularizing the term "cyberspace" to describe the Internet. Barlow also wrote "A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace" in response to the Communications Decency Act (1996), arguing for freedom of expression and identity in cyberspace.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What did John Perry Barlow do as a lyricist?
John Perry Barlow was an American author, lyricist, and activist, who is known for his work as a lyricist for the Grateful Dead. He began writing lyrics for them in 1971. With Bob Weir, he co-wrote songs such as "Cassidy" and "Mexicali Blues." Besides his work as a lyricist, Barlow cofounded the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in 1990. He also wrote extensively about the internet, including his 1990 essay that used the word cyberspace to describe the internet.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Which famous band did John Perry Barlow write songs for?
John Perry Barlow wrote songs for the Grateful Dead. He began writing lyrics for them in 1971, collaborating with Bob Weir on songs such as "Cassidy" and "Mexicali Blues." Besides his work as a lyricist, Barlow was also an American author and a cyberspace activist. In 1990, he cofounded the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to protect individual rights in the digital world.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did John Perry Barlow become involved in internet activism?
John Perry Barlow's involvement in internet activism began in the late 1980s when he started using the internet and became a frequent poster at The WELL, an online community. In 1990, he began posting about U.S. Secret Service raids intended to combat computer hacking. Believing these raids violated constitutional rights, Barlow, along with Mitch Kapor and John Gilmore, cofounded the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in 1990. The EFF aimed to protect individual rights and freedoms in the digital world through lobbying, litigation, and education.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and what was Barlow's role in it?
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1990 by John Perry Barlow, along with Mitch Kapor and John Gilmore, with support from Steve Wozniak. The EFF aims to protect civil liberties on the Internet through lobbying, litigation, and education.
Barlow, an American author, lyricist, and cyberspace activist, co-founded the EFF to protect individual rights and freedoms in the digital world. He became involved after U.S. Secret Service raids related to computer hacking. Barlow's EFF provided legal aid in cases involving issues like music copyright, trademark law, and online anonymity.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did John Perry Barlow's work influence digital rights and internet freedom?
John Perry Barlow, an American author, lyricist, and cyberspace activist, significantly influenced digital rights and internet freedom through his writings and activism. As a cofounder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in 1990, Barlow sought to protect individual rights and freedoms in the digital world.
Barlow's extensive writings on the internet include his 1990 essay, which is credited as the first to use the term "cyberspace" to describe the internet. His 1994 article, "The Economy of Ideas," argued that digital information made traditional copyright laws obsolete. Following the Communications Decency Act in 1996, Barlow wrote "A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace," advocating for cyberspace to be free from outdated notions of property, expression, and identity.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
John Perry Barlow (born October 3, 1947, near Pinedale, Wyoming, U.S.—died February 7, 2018, San Francisco, California) was an American author, lyricist, and cyberspace activist who cofounded (1990) the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which sought to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals in the digital world.
Barlow spent his childhood on his family’s cattle ranch in Wyoming, and he later attended Fountain Valley School of Colorado, where he became friends with Bob Weir, future guitarist for the Grateful Dead. He then studied at Wesleyan University, graduating with a degree in comparative religion in 1969. In 1971 Barlow began writing lyrics for the Grateful Dead, and with Weir he later penned such songs as “Cassidy” and “Mexicali Blues.” That year Barlow returned to Wyoming, and after his father died in 1972, he ran the family cattle ranch until 1988, when it was sold.
In the late 1980s Barlow began using the Internet, and he became a frequent poster at The WELL, an online community. It discussed a variety of topics—Grateful Dead fans were frequent users, which was what originally drew Barlow to the community—and in 1990 he began posting about the U.S. Secret Service’s series of raids that were intended to combat computer hacking. Believing that people’s constitutional rights were being violated, Barlow—together with Mitch Kapor and John Gilmore—founded the EFF. Its first major case involved Steve Jackson Games, which the Secret Service alleged was the recipient of an illegally copied computer file relating to BellSouth’s 911 emergency system. Agents seized several of the firm’s computers, and although they were eventually returned, some data had been deleted. The EFF provided legal aid, and in 1993 the court ruled that Jackson’s rights had been violated. The EFF was later involved with a number of cases, dealing with such issues as music copyright, trademark law, and anonymity relating to cyberspace.
Among Barlow’s extensive writings about the Internet is a 1990 essay in which he used the word cyberspace—taken from William Gibson’s science-fiction novels—to describe the Internet; that essay is credited with being the first such use of the word. He was an early contributor to Wired magazine, in which he published “The Economy of Ideas” (1994), a hugely influential article in which he argued that the nature of digital information and the Internet made traditional intellectual property and copyright laws obsolete. Following the passage of the controversial Communications Decency Act (1996), which attempted to place prohibitions on Internet speech in various ways, Barlow wrote the widely disseminated “A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace,” in which he argued that cyberspace should be freed from outdated notions of property, expression, and identity. (Portions of the act were later struck down in various legal challenges.)
In 1997 Barlow was a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard. The following year he became a fellow at the university’s law school.