Our power comes from you

My name is Jason Hjalmarson and I’m OpenMedia.ca’s Grassroots Development Coordinator. Part of my job at OpenMedia is to lead our December Fundraising Drive. Since joining the team last summer, I have been humbled and inspired by my colleagues’ dedication to defending the free and open Internet. A fierce commitment to crowdsourcing and horizontal decision making is part of our core operating principles. Putting these values into practice isn’t always easy, but it’s worth it. We believe important decisions should be made by many voices, drawing upon the wisdom and support of our community. Frequently, we solicit, collect, aggregate, and present the opinions of citizens and Internet users to political leaders in an effort to positively influence policy decisions.

It’s your decision to participate in our campaigns that has ultimately led to our success. Together, our growing community has accomplished some remarkable things in a short period of time. Over the last year alone, thanks to your support and participation, OpenMedia has:

• Thrown a huge wrench into the TPP’s secretive and invasive Internet censorship plan. With the sustained pressure of over 120,000 community members, we’ve managed so far to stall the agreement and convince Canada’s government to push back against extreme U.S. proposals.
• Won new customer protection rules that make it easier for you to switch to a more affordable cell phone provider, support independent telecom options, and protect us all from ridiculous roaming charges– Big Telecom is fighting hard to delay these changes in court, but we’re not backing down.
• Stood up to the Government’s costly, secretive, and out-of-control spying on law-abiding citizens by forming the largest pro-privacy coalition in Canadian history, and supporting a ground-breaking BCCLA legal action aimed at stopping all illegal spying on Canadians.

Each of these important victories was the result of a large, collaborative effort that would not have been possible without help from our community members, generous supporters, and monthly donors.

Most of OpenMedia’s support comes in the form of small “human-sized donations” from ordinary people who love the open Internet. The success of our year-end fundraising drive is what powers our ability to keep working to defend your digital rights.

In many ways, OpenMedia acts a megaphone that amplifies individual voices into a roar that cannot be ignored by political leaders. Together, we’ve accomplished a lot, but sadly, the need for our work has not diminished. Efforts to censor the Internet, spy on innocent people’s personal online habits, or price-gouge Canadians on their monthly wireless bill make clear that the Internet continues to need people who are willing to fight to defend it.

If you’re reading this right now, you are one of these people, and we really appreciate it. Your support has made the fight for a free, open, and affordable Internet possible. I can speak for all of our small team here at OpenMedia in expressing sincere gratitude for everything you have done to help us protect the open Internet.

Our efforts depend on your continued support. Your human-sized monthly contribution empowers us to continue fighting - please, will you consider becoming an OpenMedia ally today?