Dear Jon Davies, here's your newsletter from the frontline of
digital rights: defending and promoting citizens' rights in the digital age
Adult content blocking
We would like to thank ORG supporters for the high quality of responses you
sent as evidence to the consultation on default blocking. Do let us know if
you hear any response from your MP. The proposal of network level filtering
would be mass censorship in the misguided name of ‘protecting the children’.
Our evidence shows that it would be ineffective, give parents a false sense
of security and block the wrong content: health, bars, clubs and community
sites could all be blocked. We will continue to fight against an
infrastructure of online censorship.
The consultation has now closed.
Snoopers' Charter
The draft Communications Data Bill contains plans to install blanket
tracking, storing and surveillance of all citizens’ online communications.
This data gathering assumes guilt, has massive privacy implications and
ultimately will be easily evaded by criminals.
We have presented these
arguments<http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=11273>to
the joint committee alongside Big Brother Watch, Justice and Liberty.
They
have received a huge volume of
responses<http://www.parliament.uk/documents/joint-committees/communications-data/Communications%20Data%20formatted%20written%20evidence.pdf>–
many from ORG supporters and human rights defenders.
On Wednesday the committee heard from Jimmy
Wales<http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=11355>,
Wikipedia founder, who said he would encrypt all connections with Britain
if this shambolic plan came into law. With this weight of critical evidence
the committee must be feeling sceptical about the worth of the
Communications Data Bill.
But it's not over yet. You can write a personal letter to your MP
here<http://action.openrightsgroup.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1422&ea.campaign.id=8601>
Notice and Takedown
The European Commission has held a consultation on how illegal content is
dealt with by online intermediaries like social networks and search
engines. Central to this is 'notice and action' (N&A), where a hosting
provider is notified about some apparently illegal content and then takes
action to deal with it.
We are concerned about N&A lacking due process and allowing abuse of
process and powers, leading to legal content being removed on the basis of
mere allegations. N&A procedures are crucial to questions of freedom of
expression online. The removal of legal content threatens the right to
receive and impart information.
ORG submitted our response to this questionnaire
yesterday<http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/ipm/forms/dispatch?form=noticeandaction>
.
ORGzine
Alongside our main website ORG run a magazine for discussion and debate on
digital rights issues. In the past month on ORGzine we have had a two part
interview<http://zine.openrightsgroup.org/features/2012/feature-interview-with-jai-ranganathan>with
the founder of crowd funding platform SciFund Challenge, discussion on
Is
Hacktivism a Genuine Form of
Protest<http://zine.openrightsgroup.org/features/2012/is-hacktivism-a-genuine-form-of-protest>and
a piece on Open
Culture vs Closed
Platforms<http://zine.openrightsgroup.org/features/2012/fandom:-open-culture-vs.-closed-platforms>and
why it is important to preserve fandom and fan-fiction.
New writers and discussion are always welcome. If you have an idea for a
topic or want to write, get in touch with our Editor, on
orgzine.edi...@openrightsgroup.org
New ORG Groups
There are regular meet ups for ORG members in
London<http://www.openrightsgroup.org/groups/london>,
Sheffield <http://www.openrightsgroup.org/groups/sheffield> and
Manchester<http://www.openrightsgroup.org/groups/manchester>.
New groups <http://www.openrightsgroup.org/groups/> have been set up in
Brighton <http://www.openrightsgroup.org/groups/brighton> and the North
East (@ORGNorthEast) <https://twitter.com/ORGNorthEast>, with Brighton’s
first meeting tomorrow. Would you like to set one up? Email us if you want
to help build ORG's movement in your area!
You're not alone.
Without your donations, we would not be able to continue our campaigns.
That's why we would like to *ask you* for to support us against government
and corporate actions limiting your digital rights. Please join
today!<http://www.openrightsgroup.org/join>
Find us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/openrightsgroup>
Follow us on Twitter <http://twitter.com/openrightsgroup>
ORG at
the Party Conferences
ORG will be working with Big Brother Watch to discuss the Communications
Data Bill at the party conferences.
*Liberal Democrat Party Conference, Brighton*
25th September 2012, The Grand, Alexandra, 18.15-19.30.
Speakers:
Nick Pickles, Director, Big Brother Watch (Chair)
Jim Killock, Executive Director, the Open Rights Group
Mike Pack (Editor, LD Voice)
Jenny Woods
Greg Mulholland MP (TBC)
*Labour Party Conference, Manchester*
1 October, Central 3, 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Speakers:
* *
Nick Pickles, Director, Big Brother Watch (Chair)
Jim Killock, Executive Director, the Open Rights Group
Stella Creasy MP
Chris Bryant MP
Mike Harris, Head of Advocacy, Index on Censorship
ORG meetings
*ORGManchester
*24 September 19.00
Focusing on spreading the word about the Open Rights Group / Big Brother
Watch event for Labour delegates.
36 Charles Street,
Manchester<http://www.meetup.com/ORG-Manchester/events/80109282/>
*ORGBrighton
* 13 September 19.00
First meeting for ORG Brighton, discussing the Lib Dem conference
The Royal Sovereign, 66 Preston Street
*ORGSheffield*
13 September 18.45
Erica Packington will be facilitating a discussion on whether technology is
morally neutral
The Workstation, S1 2BX
Sheffield<http://openrightsgroup-sheffield-1209.eventbrite.com/>
*UK Open Government Partnership (OGP) Civil Society Network meeting, **
London
* 11 October
ORG is helping to organise an
event<http://uk-opengov-civilsociety.eventbrite.com/>to explore civil
society perspectives on how the UK should use its current
global leadership role within the Open Government Partnership.
*Internet Governance Forum, **Baku, Azerbaijan* 6-9 November
ORG is organising a workshop
<http://wsms1.intgovforum.org/content/no189-open-government-data-citizens-citizens-about-citizens>on
Open Data at the IFG where Javier Ruiz will be speaking about the
implications for citizens and Jim will be moderating the panel.
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*Contents CC-BY-SA <http://www.openrightsgroup.org/licence> Open Rights
Group 2011 *
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--
*Jon Davies - Chief Executive Wikimedia UK*. Mobile (0044) 7803 505 169
tweet @jonatreesdavies
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