Sign the manifesto to protect the internet

From Campaign For Liberty:

We, the Undersigned, DEMAND Congress Cease and Desist from Further Regulating, Taxing, or Eroding Online Privacy for the Following Reasons . . .

*** The internet is the single greatest catalyst in history for individual liberty and free markets;

*** Internet collectivism is now the greatest threat to the future of internet freedom;

*** True technology revolutionaries have little need for government meddling and never have. Microsoft ignored the government for years and changed the world by leading the PC revolution;

*** Today, companies like Apple are changing the world again with products like the iPhone, iPad, iTunes, and iPod. Apple "Apps" alone have created more than half-a-million jobs over the past five years;

*** Technology revolutionaries succeed because of the decentralized nature of the internet, which DEFIES GOVERNMENT CONTROL. But statists are ramping up efforts to control the internet in several ways, including;

>>> Increasing taxes on the internet to slow down the technological revolution's massive expansion of job creation;

>>> Destroying privacy rights of individuals with government snooping and efforts to abolish anonymity;

>>> Penalizing and intimidating companies in frontier industries that didn't even exist five years ago with antitrust actions in the name of "fairness" and "competition;"

>>> Forcing telecom, cable, and broadband companies under collective rule via so-called "open-access" regulation, structural separation, and public ownership (i.e. GOVERNMENT ownership);

>>> Forcing internet infrastructure and wireless spectrum to be treated as "commons" subject to centralized government control;

>>> Virtually eradicating property rights on the internet.

ALL THESE INITIATIVES WILL LEAD TO THE ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION.

A FREE AND FAST INTERNET THAT RESPECTS ONLINE PRIVACY WILL DIE ALONG WITH IT.

As a Member of Congress, you are being put on notice.

Those who would increase seek increased taxes and regulations on the internet and seek to further destroy online privacy and anonymity will pay a severe political price at the polls.

To sign the manifesto click here

Protect your privacy by signing this manifesto.

CISPA defeated

From Demand Progress:

Internet Wins Again! We Beat Back Cyber-Snooping Bill

The Internet wins again! The advocates for the cyber-security bill failed to get enough support to proceed to a final vote on the legislation. They won't be reading your email and sharing your personal data -- anytime soon, at least.

Will you add your name at right to thank the senators who stood with us? We'll surely be working with them again soon. And please use these links to share the great news (and Success Baby).

You guys were amazing throughout this fight: Demand Progress members sent 500,000 emails to the Senate and made thousands of phone calls in opposition to the bill. Countless other activists took up this fight too -- groups like the ACLU, EFF, Center for Democracy and Technology, Fight for the Future, and Free Press.

Just as important was the coalition of senators working on the inside to stand up for our rights. Several senators voted against cloture at least in part because of privacy concerns. And there's a broader, newly-empowered bloc of senators who've helped fight for pro-privacy changes to the legislation -- people like Ron Wyden (OR), Al Franken (MN), and Bernie Sanders (VT).***

Please add your name at right to make sure they know that we're grateful, and that we'll stand with them -- we'll have to fight this battle again sometime soon.

PETITION TO PRO-PRIVACY SENATORS: We thank you for your hard work to protect our privacy and Internet freedom. As we share in the excitement of this victory we want you to know that we look forward to working with you whenever there's a threat to the Internet.

Add your name at right to thank the senators who stood up for privacy and Internet freedom.

Source:click here

Way to go,everyone. First PIPA then SOPA and now the latest threat to the internet,CISPA,goes down to defeat. Everyone give yourselves a pat on the back you deserve it. Now sign the thank you petition and be done with CISPA for good.

Civil Liberties groups opposed to invasion of privacy and indefinite detention

From Fight For The Future:

There's a huge issue looming that we had to be in touch about: Congress is on the verge of ending your right to privacy. The sites you visit, your personal emails, and everything you do online could soon be used by secretive government agencies to hurt you.

Our plan is to stop this bill like we stopped SOPA. But it won’t be easy. A key vote in the Senate next week is our last good chance.

Some background: the House passed the privacy-killing bill CISPA last month after a rushed vote. CISPA would let any corporation share users’ private information with any government agency, from the NSA to the FBI to local police. In just days, the Senate will vote on a similar bill, Lieberman-Collins or the “SECURE IT Act”. Both bills would trump decades of existing privacy laws and establish wholesale sharing of your personal information between corporations and the government.

While SOPA would have empowered Hollywood to take down websites, CISPA and its Senate counterpart, Lieberman-Collins, would let Homeland Security and private companies build vast databases of our data that could be used against individuals at any time and for any purpose. Goodbye privacy, hello police state.

The general consensus among internet freedom groups is that CISPA poses a greater threat to your rights than SOPA. The difference is, the bill hasn’t made enemies of the largest tech companies. This time, public interest groups like us are on our own, and we need your help more than ever.

To be honest, we’re not sure we can win this. Congress is convinced they have to pass *something*. But we’re sure the playbook we’re working from right now is our best shot. And we’ve got a team of three organizers dedicated to making it happen. First we’re asking people to email and call local Senate offices while the Senators are at home for Memorial Day recess, and drop in at Senate offices to express their concerns about the bill. We’re planning a call-in day for later in the week, and we’ll also be pressuring President Obama to keep his veto promise (this won’t be easy). But the first step is to either write or call your Senator right now. If we’re going to win, everybody needs to be heard.

One thing that’s in our favor: timing. This is an election year, and there’s just a few more weeks before Congress *shuts down*. If we can make Senators think twice before voting on this, we can run out the clock and hold on to our privacy rights. Even if you’re not a US-citizen, this still affects you: any information that passes through US-based services could be shared with the US government. Help us spread the word and find every single one of your friends who cares about their privacy and can help save it.

Thanks for always being there for the internet.

- Tiffiniy Cheng, Fight for the Future

P.S. We also just redesigned our website and put two beautiful billboards outside SOPA sponsor Lamar Smith’s offices.

P.P.S. If you’re in Europe, click here and make a call. There are important votes on ACTA this week.

Send email click here

And from Demand Progress:

Tell Senate To Oppose Cyber Security Bill And Indefinite Detention

We're teaming up with several other groups on a call-in day to the Senate today. Demand Progress is fighting on two fronts:

1) We're opposing the National Defense Authorization Act -- especially its provisions which would legalize the use of propaganda on American citizens and permit the indefinite detention of civilians.

These dangerous, detestable violations of our basic freedoms will have our own government treating Americans as though we're the enemy.

2) We're opposing the Lieberman-Collins cyber security bill -- similar to CISPA but not exactly the same -- because it will violate Americans' online privacy.

It will tear down barriers that prevent corporations from sharing your info with one another and with the government.

Source:click here

You can find your senator here. Either email them or call them either way it'll go to defeating these two monstrosities. Time is running out now is the time to act.

CISPA goes to the Senate

House Passes CISPA: Make Sure It Dies In The Senate

We pushed them to the brink, but House Republicans rammed through CISPA this afternoon, ahead of schedule. Let's make sure it dies in the Senate: Please add your name at right.

CISPA would give the government and corporations vast new powers to track and share data about Americans' Internet use.

But our hundreds of thousands of emails and tens of thousands of phone calls have had a real impact:

Amendments were adopted that made CISPA (marginally) better. Earlier this month CISPA was supposed to sail through, but we helped foment opposition, and the vote was far closer than anybody could have imagined even a couple of weeks ago.

Most Democrats held firm in opposition, and more than two dozen libertarian-leaning Republicans defied their leadership and voted no.

Most importantly, President Obama has threatened to veto CISPA. The Senate will consider cyber security legislation in the coming weeks. Let's turn up the heat right away: Tell the Senate to reject CISPA and any and all legislation that doesn't respect privacy and civil liberties.

Add your name at right to tell the Senate to reject cyber security legislation that doesn't respect privacy.

Source:click here

Let's lobby the Senate to kill CISPA this way we safeguard our privacy.

CISPA and the president

CISPA Is Up For Vote This Week: Help Kill It Now

We're making a big difference: As lawmakers get ready to vote on CISPA, the bill's sponsors have agreed to amend the legislation to constrain what the government can do with the information it uses CISPA to collect.

But those changes don't go far enough.

We need lawmakers to support any and all amendments that would protect Internet users' privacy AND to vote against CISPA as a whole.

We're nearly out of time: Please add your name at right to email your lawmakers right away.

CISPA would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States. You can read more about it here.

Many lawmakers share our concerns about CISPA and will introduce amendments to minimize its negative impact on ordinary Internet users. We need to get their backs and encourage others to support their efforts.

Click here to sign petition.

Obama Threatens To Veto CISPA: Encourage Him To Stand Strong

This is HUGE: President Obama just threatened to veto CISPA if it makes its way through Congress.

Please add your name at right to urge Obama to stand strong, and to let your lawmakers know that you support Obama's veto threat.

CISPA is up for a vote this week. It would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States, giving the government -- including the military -- broad new powers to spy on Internet users.

The White House's letter expresses precisely the concerns that we've been highlighting over recent weeks -- and is a result of the public pressure against CISPA:

The White House says that any cybersecurity legislation must preserve "Americans' privacy, data confidentiality, and civil liberties and [recognize] the civilian nature of cyberspace."

It says that, "The bill also lacks sufficient limitations on the sharing of personally identifiable information between private entities and does not contain adequate oversight or accountability measures necessary to ensure that the data is used only for appropriate purposes."

And the letter goes on to assert that:

The American people expect their Government to enhance security without undermining their privacy and civil liberties.

Without clear legal protections and independent oversight, information sharing legislation will undermine the public's trust in the Government as well as in the Internet by undermining fundamental privacy, confidentiality, civil liberties, and consumer protections.

Click here to sign the petition.

Obama didn't have a record to run on before now he can run as the anti-CISPA candidate.

I guess with Obama's help we can beat this thing so let's send those emails.

Stand up to CISPA

From Demand Progress:

Congress Votes On CISPA This Week: Tell Your Lawmakers To Oppose It

CISPA is up for a vote this week. It would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States, giving the government -- including the military -- broad new powers to spy on Internet users.

CISPA demolishes existing barriers between the government and the private sector -- and between government agencies -- that restrict data sharing without cause, effectively allowing information about Americans' use of the Internet to slosh back and forth uninhibited.

Please call your member of Congress right away to urge them to oppose this legislation. We'll find your lawmaker's phone number and provide you with a script you can use.

Source:click here

Let's send some email or make some phone calls. Time to stand up to big government again. Let's do it.