EFA is joining Internet freedom groups from around the world to celebrate Internet Freedom Day today (Friday, 18th January), to mark this movement’s milestones in the fight for Internet freedom.
Check out some of our successes so far:
In the U.S., the pro-Internet community made a stand against threats to freedom of speech and privacy in their activism against the restrictive bill SOPA, causing the defeat of the invasive legislation.
In Canada, warrantless online spying was opposed through StopSpying.ca, with the Canadian government bowing to public pressure and shelving the online spying bill C-30.
Over in Europe, citizens held massive demonstrations, sent emails, and made calls to MEPs offices, while 2.8 million citizens signed a petition. The result? European Parliament rejected the extreme and secretive trade agreement ACTA.
To combat the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a secretive trade agreement that would criminalise everyday uses of the Internet, our colleagues in the Stop The Trap Coalition hand-delivered petition signatures to the U.S. Trade Representative, which were accepted during the San Diego negotiations, we projected your comments on the walls inside the meeting space, and we went in-person to the negotiations to ensure that citizen concerns were represented.
Here in Australia, we saw the government finally abandon its policy of introducing a mandatory internet filter.
Internet Freedom Day is also a day to recognise that threats to Internet freedom still exist. This is our chance to mobilize around these pressing threats and take action to neutralise them. In the coming year, we will be campaigning against many of the proposed new National Security powers, including Data Retention and giving ASIO the power to tamper with your computer. We’re also campaigning for reform of Australia’s highly restrictive copyright laws and against the TPP.
Join us for Internet Freedom Day today, Friday 18th January, and take action for the Internet.
Here’s what you can do to celebrate:
1. Send a tweet in support of #InternetFreedomDay, and join our Thunderclap campaign and make some noise!
2. Raise your voice for the Internet. Sign the Declaration of Internet Freedom
3. Join EFA or make a donation. Your support is essential to help us continue fighting for Internet Freedom in Australia and to support our international colleagues.
4. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.