Day! Of! Action!
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
Paov,
February 28 is the day we put an end to Bell’s dangerous censorship plan.
The call to the CRTC to create a website blocking system under the guise of guarding against piracy is so wrong-headed, and frightening to freedom of expression1 and Net Neutrality2 in Canada that more than a dozen organizations have joined us to call for action3 — comments to the CRTC — in a nationwide Day of Action on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
A new coalition... of groups are gathering steam: The B.C. Civil Liberties Association,4 Canadian Journalists for Free Expression,5 Creative Commons,6 SumOfUs,7 the Internet Society8 and VPNs like TunnelBear9 and independent Internet Service Provider (ISP) Iristel10 are just some of the organizations that are standing with us against this overreaching plan.
Will you join us for our Day of Action on Feb. 28, Paov?
Our goal is to have a record-breaking number of Canadians submit comments to the CRTC. How we do that:
- Step 1: Have you submitted a comment to the CRTC? If not, you can do so with our easy to use form, or head straight to the CRTC’s website.
- Step 2: Share on social media: Tell everyone about the Day of Action! We need to get this on Canadians' radar. This dangerous plan could change the Internet as we know it, and could lead to a world where ISPs and the government can censor any content they don’t like.11, 12 RSVP to our Day of Action here, and find Facebook and Twitter profile pictures and banners, gifs and images that you can copy and paste and use, or make your own!
The future of the web depends on you.
—Katy, for your OpenMedia team
P.S. Find my original email below. If you’re looking for another way to contribute, donate $5 or $10 to our billboard project calling out Bell for their UnFairPlay tactics.
Footnotes
[1] Why the CRTC should reject FairPlay’s dangerous website-blocking plan: Globe and Mail
[2] Fairplay Canada may reduce piracy, but challenges net neutrality: Yahoo News
[3] 'Slippery slope': Opposition mounts to Canadian media's plan to block piracy websites: CBC
[4] British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
[5] Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
[6] Creative Commons
[7] SumOfUs
[8] The Internet Society
[9] TunnelBear
[10] Iristel
[11] The Case Against the Bell Coalition’s Website Blocking Plan, Part 5: The Inevitable Expansion of the Block List Standard for “Piracy” Sites: Michael Geist
[12] The Case Against the Bell Coalition’s Website Blocking Plan, Part 6: Over-Blocking of Legitimate Websites: Michael Geist
Paov,
We knew they’d come at us with everything they had. Members of the censorship coalition spearheaded by Bell have long been known for aggressively pursuing their agenda,1 and this latest push to have the CRTC do their bidding is no different.
They don’t seem to care that they’re massively overstating the scale of a problem in order to implement a website blocking scheme.2 Once again, our free and open Internet is under attack.
So at the end of the month we’re mobilising defenders of the open Internet all over Canada to come together to say no to Internet censorship, and we need you to be a part of it.
Will you join us on February 28th for a national day of action to protect Canada’s open Internet?
Evidence around the world shows that website blocking schemes produce massive numbers of false-positives. When the UK implemented a scheme similar to what’s been proposed here, as many as one in five sites in the UK were blocked.3 Legitimate business, health services and personal blogs were inaccessible.
No matter what they’re saying now, how long will it be before this censorship coalition tries to block content they don’t like, disapprove of, or disagree with?
We can’t let Big Telcos like Bell, and media giants feigning serving the interests of creators, dictate what can and can’t be seen online, to protect their own revenues.
On February 28th we’re saying no to the censorship coalition, and we want you to stand with us.
We’ve already seen the Big Telecoms win in the U.S. with Net Neutrality protections wiped away, a change that will impact on regular Internet users like us.4 We can’t let companies like Bell seize control of the Internet here in Canada too. Join us on February 28th!
Thanks again for being a part of this.
—Katy, for your OpenMedia team
P.S. The members of the censorship coalition are some of the most powerful organisations in the country. But we have something they don’t: you. Please consider donating to OpenMedia to keep up the fight for a free and open Internet.
Footnotes
[1] Canadian Telcos Want To Play Police In War On Piracy: HuffPost
[2] Does Canada Even Have a Huge Piracy Problem?: Motherboard
[3] The UK's Internet Filters Block Almost 1 in 5 Websites: Motherboard
[4] Here’s how the end of Net Neutrality will change the Internet: r32 If you no longer wish to receive our r46 to unsubscribe.
