The Internet is at a turning point and here’s some good news

Hi there, I’m Chris Malmo, a grassroots development coordinator at OpenMedia, and it’s my job to help our community interact and communicate with our team. It’s been a big year for your OpenMedia team, but I’d like to step back and think about the movement we’re a part of and what it all means. As the first generation to come online, we have a responsibility to leave the best possible Internet for those to come-- people with dreams just like ours of the possibilities of the free and open Internet.

I probably don’t have to tell you that the Internet is at a turning point: either we stand up now for our digital rights, or we accept a world where everything we do online is monitored by governments and ISPs, free expression is quashed, and Internet access gets more expensive.

Our nimble team is ready for this fight -- and we’ve received some seriously good news: a generous donor has just offered to double new community donations every single month for a whole year.

This development could make a huge difference in our fight against some of the most powerful and well-funded interests on the planet, so it’s essential we take advantage.  

We make change by using cutting-edge digital tools to force decision-makers to pay attention to citizen voices. Naturally, building and sharing these tools takes a lot of time and resources.

As a development coordinator, I know that this fight just wouldn’t be possible without the strength our monthly allies provide. Our high-impact campaigns to defend the Internet are a direct result of the community’s sustained support.

This month, the tech community has stepped up to stand beside our allies. Indie ISP Teksavvy has generously agreed to match the value of community donations for every month of 2015.Please join as a monthly donor and double your impact to protect the open Internet before this offer expires.

Here’s what the OpenMedia community is up against in 2015:

• Big Telecom’s army of lobbyists are working overtime at the U.S. FCC to force your favourite websites into an Internet slow lane. [1]

• Canada’s trade negotiators are facing major U.S. pressure to accept restrictive and extreme Internet censorship in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. [2]

• Out-of-control government surveillance threatens to turn the Internet into something it was never intended to be: big-brother-always-watching. [3] [4]

If we are going to keep the Internet open next year and beyond, we’re going to have to fight to protect it and improve it.

To succeed we need you, our community, to join us as monthly contributors so we can make the most of vital matching funds

Footnotes

[1] Cable companies try to scare you about net neutrality in the least convincing way possible. Source: BGR

[2] The United States is isolated in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. Source: The Washington Post

[3] Why the Digital Privacy Act Undermines Our Privacy: Bill S-4 Risks Widespread Warrantless Disclosure. Source: Michael Geist

[4] The 10 Most Disturbing Snowden Revelations. Source: PCMag