Internet Freedom

CISPA Is Back With A New Name: “CISA”

August 26, 2014 Fight for the Future, www.cispaisback.org Organize! Internet Freedom, Organize, Surveillance

CISA is the newest and latest version of a bill that would give the NSA even more powers CISA is an even more toxic bill than the original CISPA bill. CISA stays in line with the original objective of the CISPA bill to strengthen and legitimize the NSA's surveillance programs. But this time the bill would allow for and encourage sweeping datamining taps on Internet users for the undefined purpose of domestic "cybersecurity". The NSA would be able to share this data with police and other law enforcement agencies for domestic "cybersecurity" purposes - meaning these powers will be used against innocent citizens. Would you like to read more about CISPA's newest form, CISA? Read some of these articles 1.) Open Technology Institute. "Info Sharing with NSA is a Non-Starter – and Only One of the New Cybersecurity Bill’s Many Problems". Read More 2.) ACLU. "Beware the Dangers of Congress’ Latest Cybersecurity Bill". Read More

Net Neutrality: A Struggle For Human Rights

August 18, 2014 Aitza Haddad, www.savetheinternet.com Educate! Human Rights, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

The fight for Net Neutrality isn’t just a battle against companies trying to take over the Internet. It’s also a struggle for human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” that human rights are to be enjoyed “without distinction of any kind such as race, color or sex.” And that includes the “right to freedom of opinion and expression.” The open Internet has given people around the world the freedom to hold opinions and express themselves without interference. It has allowed individuals the right to seek, receive and impart information, which has in turn facilitated social change, as happened with the Arab Spring revolutions of 2011. But if FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s plan to allow discrimination online is adopted, it would curb our right to communicate freely.

Net Neutrality, Filtering And Ferguson

August 14, 2014 Zeynep Tufekci, www.medium.com Educate! Ferguson, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality, Police abuse

Ferguson is about many things, starting first with race and policing in America. But it’s also about internet, net neutrality and algorithmic filtering. It’s a clear example of why “saving the Internet”, as it often phrased, is not an abstract issue of concern only to nerds, Silicon Valley bosses, and few NGOs. It’s why “algorithmic filtering” is not a vague concern. It’s a clear example why net neutrality is a human rights issue; a free speech issue; and an issue of the voiceless being heard, on their own terms. I saw this play out in multiple countries — my home country of Turkey included — but last night, it became even more heartbreakingly apparent in the United States as well.

A Fascinating Look Inside Those 1.1 Million Open-Internet Comments

August 14, 2014 Elise Hu, www.npr.org Educate! Data, FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

When the Federal Communications Commission asked for public comments about the issue of keeping the Internet free and open, . So huge, in fact, that the FCC's platform for receiving comments twice got knocked offline because of high traffic, and because of technical problems. So what's in those nearly 1.1 million public comments? A lot of mentions of , according to a TechCrunch analysis. But now, we have a fuller picture. The San Francisco data analysis firm Quid looked beyond keywords to find the sentiment and arguments in those public comments. Quid, as commissioned by the media and innovation funder Knight Foundation, parsed hundreds of thousands of comments, tweets and news coverage on the issue since January. The firm looked at where the comments came from and what common arguments emerged from them. You'll see here that every emergent theme was "pro" net neutrality, or supports the idea of a level playing field for content on the Internet. The comments did include "anti" net neutrality positions. They included statements opposing the "FCC's crippling new regulations," as commenters wrote. But they came from a form letter, or template, and all comment clusters that came from templates (five separate ones in all, four of five supporting net neutrality) were collapsed into a single node.

Redacted Tonight On Ending Internet Freedom

August 10, 2014 Lee Camp, www.popularresistance.org Organize! FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

The FCC continues on their path to destroy internet freedom and no one is more disturbed about it than John F. O'Donnell. Host Lee Camp explores the threat to Net Neutrality with Senior Internet User John F. O'Donnell. John explains the impact on innovation like his idea for Zero-Click shopping on the Internet. This segment will make you laugh, make you cry and give you a new appreciation for Haiku. Check it out and share it with your friends. There is one month left in this round of public comments. The current demand is that the FCC Commissioners leave their corporate-lobbyist-infested building in Washington, DC and hold regional hearings around the country to hear from the people. Join us in calling for hearings by sending an email to the FCC.

Hey FCC – Break Out Of Your Washington Bubble

August 8, 2014 Mary Alice Crim, www.freepress.net Resist! FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

PhillyCAM Membership and Outreach Director Antoine Haywood (pictured with Commissioner Clyburn) said that the folks who visit PhillyCAM’s public access television facility need Internet access to use the full range of tools available and to come together as a community. He knows firsthand just how crucial Internet access is for people searching for jobs. He highlighted the need for the network to remain a level playing field for everyone. Commissioner Clyburn noted that she’s motivated by Haywood’s enthusiasm and work. Sanjay Jolly of the Prometheus Radio Project talked about how his organization, which is supporting more than 3,000 Low Power FM stations that will start broadcasting in the next three years, provides independent, locally based and culturally relevant alternatives to the mainstream media.

Join The Global Teach-In For Net Neutrality!

August 8, 2014 Mozilla, www.blog.webmaker.org Organize! Internet Freedom, Media, Net Neutrality

A coalition of organizations are working together to protect net neutrality by urging the Federal Communications Commission to reclassify the Internet as a common carrier (like a public utility). The rules proposed by the chair of the FCC would allow giant telecoms to make the Internet like cable TV so that people only get as much access as they can afford. Popular Resistance is a member of the coalition because without net neutrality, we won't be able to reach you. Mozilla is also a member of the coalition and they are providing tools and a teach-in so that more people can understand the importance of net neutrality. If you value having access to information through the Internet, please sign up for the Global Teach-In and hold a Net Neutrality Party.

Obama Opposes FCC’s Proposal For Tiered Internet

August 7, 2014 Timothy Karr, www.freepress.net Organize! Barack Obama, FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama voiced strong support for Net Neutrality and opposition to the type of pay-for-priority Internet rules now being proposed by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “One of the issues around Net Neutrality is whether you are creating different rates or charges for different content providers. That's the big controversy here," Obama said in response to a journalist’s question at the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit in Washington. "You have big, wealthy media companies who might be willing to pay more and also charge more for spectrum, more bandwidth on the Internet so they can stream movies faster. I personally, the position of my administration, as well as a lot of the companies here, is that you don’t want to start getting a differentiation in how accessible the Internet is to different users. You want to leave it open so the next Google and the next Facebook can succeed.” Obama's position contradicts Chairman Wheeler's current proposal, which would allow Internet access providers to favor the content of a few wealthy companies over other websites and services. The president’s remarks were first reported by Bloomberg BNA.

Abortion Rights Battle Bigger Than Texas

August 6, 2014 Dennis Trainor Jr, www.PopularResistance.org Resistance Report Democracy, Government, Human Rights, Internet Freedom, Worker Rights and Jobs

Stop Patriarchy’s highly theatrical, non-violent yet confrontational style has not endeared them to all activists in Texas fighting for reproductive justice. In fact, a coalition has formed whose sole purpose is to oppose Stop Patriarchy. Texans for Reproductive Justicehas published a Letter of Concern, opposing “Stop Patriarchy’s messaging, tactics, dishonesty, and racism.” Stop Patriarchy has seen this type of resistance before.

Diane Derzis runs the only remaining abortion clinic in the state of Mississippi. Speaking to Acronym TV on background for this episode, Dianne told us she was “warned about Stop Patriarchy” before they came to defend her clinic during the 2013 Abortion Rights Freedom Ride. Derzis, who now sits on the Abortion Rights freedom Ride advisory board noted that one reason people fear Stop Patriarchy is because their leader, Sunsara Taylor, is a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party.

Leading Civil Rights Groups Just Sold Out On Net Neutrality

July 25, 2014 Lee Fang, www.republicreport.org Educate! Civil Rights, FCC, i, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

Last Friday, just before the Federal Communication Commission closed its comment period for its upcoming rule on “network neutrality,” a massive coalition of Asian, Latino and Black civil rights group filed letters arguing that regulators should lay off of Internet Service Providers regarding Title II reclassification and accept FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s original plan. In other words, something close to half of the entire civil rights establishment just sold out the Internet. The civil rights group letters argue that Title II reclassification of broadband services as a public utility — the only path forward for real net neutrality after a federal court ruling in January — would somehow “harm communities of color.” The groups wrote to the FCC to tell them that “we do not believe that the door to Title II should be opened.” Simply put, these groups, many of which claim to carry the mantle of Martin Luther King Jr., are saying that Comcast and Verizon should be able to create Internet slow lanes and fast lanes, and such a change would magically improve the lives of non-white Americans. The filings reveal a who’s who of civil rights groups willing to shill on behalf of the telecom industry. One filing lists prominent civil rights groups NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Urban League, the National Council on Black Civil Participation and the National Action Network. The other features the Council of Korean Americans, the Japanese American Citizens League, the National Black Farmers Association, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates, the National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, the Latino Coalition, and many more.

Next Step To Save The Internet: Call For Regional Hearings

July 24, 2014 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org Petitions and Online Actions FCC, Internet, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

Our next step is to demand that the FCC commissioners come out of their federal building that is infected with corporate lobbyists and actually listen to the people. How do they do that? They hold hearings around the country where people have an opportunity to fully talk to the commissioners. It's been more than five years since all five FCC commissioners left Washington to meet with the public in an official capacity. Net Neutrality is the hottest issue the agency has dealt with in almost a decade. People like you and me have a lot to say about the open Internet and the FCC needs to hear it. Join us in calling the FCC to hold hearings outside of Washington, DC where they hear from the people. Tell the FCC to get out of Washington and hold a public hearing in your community. Click hear to join our call for public hearings.

More Than One Million Comment On Net Neutrality

July 18, 2014 Brenda Barron, www.venturebeat.com Organize! Democracy, FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received more than 1 million comments about net neutrality via its website and via email. The actual total is 1,030,000 comments, and most are prodding the FCC to protect net neutrality for all. An Internet without such neutrality is one that can be divided into so-called “fast” and “slow” lanes, to use a much-debated but common metaphor. To gain access to optimum speeds on certain sites, subscribers would have to pay a premium fee. The uproar began in earnest this March, when the FCC approved a proposal that would allow ISPs to charge companies that use a lot of data a higher rate to assure high-quality service. Netflix is a primary example of this. After tomorrow, the reply comments phase will begin and will last until September 10. This isn’t the first time the public has contacted the FCC en masse to request it maintain an open Internet that isn’t restricted by ISPs looking to make a profit. Though the FCC has received more comments about various issues in the past (Janet Jackson’s nipple, anyone?), this is by far the largest number of comments that have been formally registered via official FCC procedures. So many people wanted to submit comments that the FCC site buckled under all of the traffic back in June. This led to the FCC to extend the period of time allowed for public comments.

Net Neutrality Now A “Bandwagon”, Most Comments Ever!

July 17, 2014 Kate Tummarello and Julian Hattem, www.thehill.com Organize! FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality, Netflix

Netflix is taking up the once-unpopular position that the federal government should consider regulating Internet providers like it regulates traditional telephone companies, despite the political fight that could ensue. In a filing to the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, the online video company said the agency should consider reclassifying Internet providers as “Title II” common carriers — which would give the agency broader legal authority to regulate them — as it rewrites its net neutrality rules. While reclassification has been generally considered an uphill political battle — and House Republicans have floated legislation that would prohibit the FCC from reclassifying — the agency is facing more and more pressure from lawmakers, companies and public interest groups to do so. “Opposition to Title II is largely political, not legal,” Netflix wrote in its comments, urging the agency to adopt classifications that “better sync with the actual experience of consumers.”

FCC Computer System Crashes Due To Net Neutrality Comments

July 16, 2014 Eliza Molk, www.freepress.net Organize! Democracy, FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

So many people inundated the FCC’s electronic filing system with comments about Chairman Tom Wheeler’s pay-to-play Internet proposal that the site crashed this morning. But that didn’t faze advocates of an open and nondiscriminatory Internet. This afternoon, dozens of representatives from groups including Free Press, the ACLU, Common Cause, Demand Progress, MAG-Net, the Media Mobilizing Project and reddit went to the FCC to hand-deliver hundreds of thousands of comments from their members. Groups also delivered comments from the Center for Media Justice, CREDO, Daily Kos, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Engine Advocacy, Fight for the Future, MoveOn, Mozilla, OpenMedia International, Popular Resistance and Voices for Internet Freedom. Folks carried huge stacks of papers into the FCC while others held “Save the Internet” signs outside as agency staff filed the comments.

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