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Also see:
http://www.stand.org.uk
http://www.faxyourmp.com
http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/20000023.htm
http://www.fipr.org


From:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/in_depth/sci_tech/2000/dot_life/newsid_2062000/2062418.stm

Monday, 24 June, 2002, 10:52 GMT 11:52 UK
The fax machine uprising


Simple but effective



By Giles Turnbull


How did a loose collective of internet users force a government U-turn on
controversial changes to digital privacy laws? The answer is that they did
it using simple technology to create a large-scale grassroots protest
campaign almost overnight.

If you think most internet geeks are a bunch of self-interested
games-addicted cynics with eyes for little else but their computer
screens, it's time to think again.
Last week, the UK online community scored a dramatic victory over
government plans to give all sorts of public bodies access to records of
everyone's e-mail and phone records.

And it all happened astonishingly fast. Within days of the alarm being
raised, Home Secretary David Blunkett publicly apologised for "getting it
wrong".

... end of clip ...

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