Celebrating one year of fighting for an open Internet worldwide

The Internet has no borders, and neither should we.

 

Today I’m excited – we all are – to celebrate the first anniversary of the launch of OpenMedia International.

 

“We can’t put all our energy into stop-gap measures here in Canada and craft a positive vision for our digital economy while our digital rights are eroded abroad by lobbyists and un-elected trade representatives working in almost total secrecy.”

 

It was with that statement from OpenMedia’s founder Steve Anderson that our organization went from being a small team punching above its weight to secure a strong digital future for Canada, to a small team punching above its weight to secure a strong digital future for the world.

 

That was one year ago today.

 

It was earlier, though, in June 2012, that the OpenMedia team kicked into high gear and took on our first international issue: We had recently learned that an international agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would have deep, dark ramifications for the future of the Internet, and as Canada’s government began to talk publicly about signing on, we began to get especially worried.

 

But then we thought about our community – you. Somehow, amazingly, hundreds of thousands of you came together to fight for a more open, affordable, and surveillance-free Internet here in Canada, and you’ve been winning. You proved that we really can use the Internet to save the Internet – and in so doing you also made it clear that it’s something worth saving. And while we at OpenMedia have had the honour of facilitating that—and we will do so as long as we’re around—it’s clear that your voices are what made it all happen.

 

So with a strong Canadian community fighting for the digital future, and strong hopes for other citizens of the world, we started to push back against the secretive and extreme TPP agreement. On August 23, 2012, we officially launched OpenMedia International as a platform for the global pro-Internet movement.

 

The global pro-Internet movement has a lot to be proud of already: In just one year, we’ve engaged Internet users from 186 countries, who together have taken over four million online actions. We’ve built and joined international coalitions to push back against the TPP, to prevent threatening Internet governance proposals, and to promote the principles in the Declaration of Internet Freedom. And it’s all thanks to you.

 

Thank you all so much for your trust and support. 

 

Thank you for this past year.

 

Happy anniversary, global pro-Internet community.