Paperstorm.it

The idea to drop leaflets from the air to spread a political message stems from historical methods of leaflet bombs. Filling a bomb with millions of sheets of paper and dropping them from the air so that big regions on the ground get covered with these leaflets and the messages get spread.

Today campaigning is not bound to physical restrictions anymore, with digital tools one can reach nearly every single soul on the planet. With paperstorm we cover the virtual surface of planet earth with sheets of printed paper.

After the first Copyright campaign the tool was activated again to raise awareness that Net Neutrality in the US is under attack. Net Neutrality is a hard-won value of the internet, to preserve free speech, innovation and choice. The Federal Communications Commission with its Chairman Ajit Pai has proposed to dismantle these protections.

Paperstorm.it appeals to the American public to drop leaflets on the Federal Communications Commission headquarters in Washington, DC and thereby demonstrate that they disagree with the current developments. The leaflet was addressed to Ajit Pai to stop his attack on Net Neutrality.

The first application of the tool was used for a copyright reform campaign in May 2017.

The EU’s current copyright framework, developed for a time before the Internet, can stymie innovation, preventing entrepreneurs from building on existing data or code. It can stifle creativity, making it technically illegal to create, share and remix memes and other online culture and content.

When opening the website, you find yourself floating above an iconic structure or building somewhere on the planet. On the bottom of the screen you have an endless pile of leaflets on your disposal.

With every click a leaflet is falling to the ground. Watching the leaflets tumbling down is pleasantly satisfying. While you are dropping leaflets, other people are dropping leaflets too.
On the top of the screen a countdown is showing how many sheets still need to be dropped. Together the paperstormers make themselves heard with an impactful loud voice.