A quick reminder from me as to why everyone should care about digital rights:
Digital rights are human rights – they go beyond the technorati.
Parents get advice and support on all kinds of issues on Mumsnet. Feminists organise through websites like The F Word which often translate into real world action. Disabled people find new ways of reaching out to the world and fighting for their rights through The Broken of Britain Campaign. Bullied lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender teens can find new hope through the It Gets Better videos. Men, women, black, white, straight, gay, Muslim or humanist, able-bodied or not, the internet brings us together and empowers us all.
At the same time, this new-found empowerment is under constant threat. Copyright lobbyists are demanding powers to censor free speech and disconnect us from the internet without due process. Politicians threaten us with the Great Porn Firewall of Britain, potentially preventing vulnerable LGBT teenagers from accessing information and safe spaces online that may help them come to terms with their sexual orientation and even save their lives. People are taken to court for posting messages on Twitter and Facebook. The security services want to know where you’ve been, who you’ve been talking to, and what websites you’ve visited.
As the information war gains new fronts almost on a daily basis, it is vital for all of us to be engaged in what is perhaps the defining political issue of the 21st century.
And now we interrupt your regular schedule for a special announcement from the Open Rights Group:
After a year of successes ORG is ready to take the next step in the battle for your rights!
We campaigned for change to copyright that would create a new right to parody, built the coalition against the Snoopers’ Charter, broke the story of Mobile Internet censorship, and our hard work against ACTA came into fruition as we watched MEPs shoot down a law that would have led to damaging copyright policy. We couldn’t have done any of it without our supporters!
ORG is now prepared to take legal action to challenge threats to your digital rights.
We now need to fund a new position: a legal expert who can co-ordinate our crack-team of volunteer lawyers, perform thorough legal research, and create new case law to actively prevent potential threats to civil liberties.
You can help ORG achieve this! We only need 150 new members to start our legal project; 300 new members could pay a Legal Officer full time. Join the Open Rights Group today to help protect your digital rights!