the internet is always linked to its underlying geography. Outside the Internet, the response was less positive. Larry Irving, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce, said that a lack of safeguards would "slow down the growth of what is likely to be a major boon for consumers and business". In the online magazine HotWired, one columnist referred to his document as simply "hogwash". By 2002 the number of sites copying the declaration was estimated to have dropped to 20,000. In 2004, Barlow reflected on his 1990s work, specifically regarding his optimism. His response was that "we all get older and smarter". But a 2016 article in Wired insisted "Barlow himself wants to be clear: He stands by his words just as much today." It quotes Barlow as saying "The main thing I was declaring was that cyberspace is naturally immune to sovereignty and always would be. I believed that was true then, and I believe it’s true now." See also Cyberspace John Perry Barlow Hacker Manifesto Commercialization of the Internet Surveillance capitalism References External links A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace (Audio Recording) A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace (Portuguese Translation in PDF) A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace (Spanish Translation) A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace (official vinyl release with accompanying video and audio recordings read by John Perry Barlow and scored by Drazen Bosnjak) Another Declaration Of Independence For Cyberspace which was conceived simultaneously and independently from the Barlow version. Note: archive.org time stamp is later than original publish date which happened during HotWired/Weiner's Blue Ribbon Campaign where it hung and was blocked in the listserv for 1 hour when Barlow's version was delivered to the listserv using the same Subject line as this version from Citizens Of The Sea. 1996 documents Texts related to the history of the Internet Internet-related activism Internet culture Texts about the Internet Manifestos