Okay Paov, here's the plan
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- Published on Tuesday, 03 February 2015 17:00
- Written by editor
2015 has come in with a roar - and this wild ride ain’t gonna let up any time soon. We’re working flat out to amplify your voices and defend the free and open Internet.
Check out our game plan for the year ahead - and don’t miss a moment of the action by liking us on Facebook and connecting with us on Twitter today.
... Stay in the loop!Hey Paov!
It’s hold on to your hats time here at OpenMedia - 2015 has come in with a roar, and it’s shaping up to be a crucial year for our digital rights.
As one of our most highly-engaged members, we want to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what we have in store. We’re lining up hard-hitting campaigns to amplify your voices, build our movement, and keep the Internet a free and open platform for generations to come.
Our work would not be possible without so many of you joining us as monthly allies during our recent December drive. And thanks to all the small businesses and startups who stepped up to support us including our awesome collaborators at digital branding agency Skyrocket.
At OpenMedia, three pillars uphold our work to foster a free and open Internet – Access, Free Expression, and Privacy. Here’s our game plan for each of these pillars and a sneak preview of what we’ll be asking you to do to help out. Don’t forget to stay in the loop by liking us on Facebook, and by connecting with us on Twitter.
I. Access - Get ready to save Net Neutrality
Right now, we’re celebrating a historic win for the open Internet. Just days ago, the CRTC found Big Telecom giants to be “unlawfully discriminating” against competing apps and services, and ordered them to stop.1 The result? Saving Net Neutrality on our wireless Internet networks.
And that’s not all: Hated 30-day cancellation notice periods are gone - again thanks to your hard work and support.2 Last year, we took your voices to three crucial CRTC hearings - and we look forward to celebrating more wins as the decisions roll out over the coming months.
But wait, there’s more! Net neutrality is also under threat in the U.S. where decision-makers at the FCC will soon make a decision that will have global consequences.3 Big Telecom giants are pushing for Internet slow lanes - but the Internet has been fighting back in a huge way.
This is the power of our community: working together, thousands of you have sent letters through our Letter to the Editor tool and we broke the all time record for most comments ever submitted to the FCC.
But there’s still work to do: The next three weeks are crucial - lobbyists are swarming Washington D.C. to try to destroy the open Internet. If we don’t act, we could lose the progress we’ve made. Stay tuned for much more on how to pitch in!
II. Free Expression - This is the Big One
The world is coming together against the Trans-Pacific Partnership’s Internet censorship plan. Over 3 million of you stood up against Internet censorship last year. But in 2015, we’ll be down to the wire.
We’ve done great work to hold them off so far - but U.S. lobbyists are pushing hard to finalize the text of the TPP in 2015.4 If they try to ram this through we’ll make sure you’re the first to know - and have effective ways to speak out.
We’re already fighting back by helping to organize a Global Day of Action on trade agreements in the spring of 2015. Our community knows we need to have a frank, global discussion about how we cooperate without harming our democracy and putting more power in the hands of entrenched interests.
But that’s not all: Here in Canada, we’re redoubling our efforts to defend our flexible, made-in-Canada copyright system - fighting for common sense rules to protect Canadians from abusive copyright trolls.5
III. Defending your Privacy Rights
Last week, we learned for the first time that Canada’s spy agency CSE is monitoring our private online activities on a massive scale.6 Internet users discovered that becoming a target for surveillance could be as easy as clicking on a link.
Thousands speak out: These revelations sparked global outrage, with your OpenMedia team quoted in media outlets from South Africa to New Zealand. Here in Canada, over 15,000 Canadians told Stephen Harper to put a stop to CSE spying in just a few days.7
That’s just the beginning: We’re going to rally a huge international coalition to rein in the Five Eyes – the network of spy agencies in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand engaged in dragnet online spying across the globe. We’ll also hit back hard against U.K. and U.S. attempts to ban apps people rely on to communicate securely.
Our positive alternative: There is an alternative to out-of-control spying - and over 10,000 of you have helped shape it by taking part in our recent crowdsourcing process.8 We’re sifting through all your feedback and we’re so excited about launching our crowdsourced pro-privacy report later this spring.
Onwards!
2015 is going to be a wild ride! The fight for digital rights is exciting, scary, and we’re so glad that you’re a part of it, backing us up, providing great ideas, and contributing to our campaigns.
Don’t be a stranger: With so much happening, stay in the loop by liking us on Facebook, and by connecting with us on Twitter.
See you there!
Eva, Josh, Meghan, and David on behalf of your OpenMedia team
Footnotes
[1] CRTC Supports Net Neutrality in Landmark Decision Against Bell Mobility. Source: TechVibes.
[2] CRTC bans 30-day notice for cancelling TV, phone, internet. Source: CBC.
[3] Get ready for the FCC to say the internet is a utility. Source: The Verge.
[4] Internet Era Is Not Kind to Authoritarian TPP. Source: The Daily Bell.
[5] Stop Big Media’s Shakedown: tell Minister Moore to protect Canadians now. Source.
[6] Canada Casts Global Surveillance Dragnet Over File Downloads. Source: The Intercept.
[7] Canadians speak out against CSE spying at Stop Spying on Us. Source.
[8] Help shape Canada’s privacy plan. r32 If you no longer wish to receive our r46 to unsubscribe.