Let’s come up with a plan to stop international agreements from restricting Internet freedom

Dear Internet community, New Internet restrictions are currently being developed through multiple international "trade" agreements that could significantly restrict and potentially even criminalize your everyday use of the Internet. We know from past campaigns that we win when the Internet community reaches out and engages a critical mass of citizens in the cause. So we want your input: What do you think is the best way to stop these threats to Internet freedom?

How can we best reach and engage more people in the battle to stop Big Media lobbyists and bureaucrats from censoring expression online?

Let us know your ideas through Reddit—where we’re hosting an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) discussion—or on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus or in the comments below.

Leading Internet freedom organizations and advocates will be on hand to join in the conversations. Participants include the team here at OpenMedia, as well as Consumers International, Electronic Frontiers Australia, Fight For The Future, InternetNZ, Michael Masnick of TechDirt, Marvin Ammori, and Tyler Morgenstern.

The 16th round of meetings for the Trans-Pacific Partnership's (TPP) “Internet trap” just wrapped up in Singapore and will continue in coming months.¹ Meanwhile threats to Internet freedom from the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) have been resurrected,² the negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) are ongoing,³ and now we’re hearing about potential new threats to Internet freedom through the US – EU Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA).⁴ This is all in addition to domestic level threats to our digital rights in the U.S. and elsewhere.

All of these closed-door agreements threaten an open and affordable Internet - they are being shaped by lobbyists working for outdated businesses without public input.

Internet freedom organizations and advocates have worked hard to insert your voices into these secretive negotiations. In July of last year we confronted TPP negotiators in San Diego with nearly 100,000 petition signatures gathered by the StopTheTrap.net Coalition (more than 25,000 citizens have since signed).⁵

Later on, we developed the Open The TPP tool to collect and share citizens’ comments from around the world⁶ and project them on the walls of the TPP meeting space in Leesburg, Virginia.⁷ And most recently, we travelled to Auckland, New Zealand to present to negotiators in person; we even handed around an iPad that live-streamed your comments.⁸

Unfortuntately, the TPP and other international agreements continue to move forward. We need a plan, and the best ideas have always come the Internet community. How are we going to stop politicians and trade lobbyists from restricting our use of the Internet? Please give us your best ideas through Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, through our “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit, or the comments below.

The Internet community has overcome some amazing odds to stop threats to our digital rights. Let’s do it again.

~ Josh on behalf of your OpenMedia team

Footnotes

[1] EFF: Secretive Copyright Negotiations Continue at the 16th Round of TPP Talks

[2] How New ACTA Internet Lockdown Measures Are Coming to Canada

[3] Why CETA is bad for Canadian Internet Users

[4] Citizen.org: IP out of TAFTA: Civil Society Declaration

[5] Large petition against TPP’s Internet trap hand-delivered to negotiations in San Diego

[6] OpenTheTPP.net

[7] Open The TPP campaign turns heads at negotiations

[8] Report back: Inside the TPP's Internet Trap

*image from Steve Rhodes on Flickr