B.R.A.N.C.H. — Blue Ribbon Autonomous Network for Carrier Hopping — is an independent technical tribute to the Blue Ribbon Online Free Speech Campaign.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation chose the blue ribbon as a symbol for the preservation of civil rights in the electronic world and asked people to display it in support of the fundamental human right of free speech. The campaign became one of the defining symbols of early online activism.
Historical references:
- EFF: Blue Ribbon Campaign
- EFF open letter and launch message
- EFF retrospective: The Web's First Blackout Protest
- Blue Ribbon Online Free Speech Campaign
B.R.A.N.C.H. is not an official continuation of the EFF campaign and must not claim EFF affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement.
The connection is ideological and historical:
- the Blue Ribbon defended freedom of speech, press, and association online;
- B.R.A.N.C.H. seeks to make the technical act of establishing communication independent of any single platform or gateway;
- the symbol is carried forward openly, with attribution, rather than used as an unexplained visual reference.
On first mention in official material, the project name must appear as:
B.R.A.N.C.H.
Blue Ribbon Autonomous Network for Carrier Hopping
The same page or document must explain the Blue Ribbon heritage and link to the
original campaign. The short form BRANCH may be used in code, package names,
commands, and protocol identifiers.
Canonical lines:
The Blue Ribbon is alive again.
From symbol to protocol.
The ribbon no longer merely hangs on the Web. It becomes a route through it.