described the process as an example of when swarm politics work and he largely played the role of a moderator in a forum as opposed to a central data gatherer. Three impacts of the February 11 protest are worth noting. First, as pressure mounted, the day before the scheduled protest Germany announced that the country would not sign ACTA, in an example of a national protest impacting national politics. Second, the scope of the protests led to mass media coverage. Benkler argues that the value of the participatory Internet and the potential for individuals to create networks of interest are critical elements of the networked public sphere, a theory demonstrated through the protests against ACTA. Additionally, media coverage attracts the attention of individuals not participating in the protest or on the same Facebook groups and e-mail chains as the protestors. Third, and related to the German decision and the subsequent news coverage, the protests were necessary (though not sufficient, as discussed below to attract the attention of