Launch of new pro-privacy crowdsourcing initiative comes just days after Peter MacKay’s online spying Bill C-13 passes House of Commons, and follows over a year of revelations about the activities of Canada’s spy agency CSEC

Controversial bill is opposed by huge majority of Canadians, with even the government’s own supporters opposing it by over 2.5:1

October 16, 2014 – This morning Wikileaks published a second leaked draft of the Intellectual Property chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The draft confirms people’s worst fears about Internet censorship. That’s according to community-based organization OpenMedia, which is leading a large international Fair Deal Coalition aimed at securing balanced copyright rules for the 21st Century. “It is hugely disappointing to see that, yet again, members of the public worldwide have to be informed about these critical issues through leaked drafts, instead of through democratic engagement on the part of governments and elected officials,” said OpenMedia Campaigns Coordinator Meghan Sali. “When will our decision-makers recognize that negotiating serious issues - especially proposals that would censor our use of the Internet - must be considered and debated democratically instead of in secret meetings with industry lobbyists?”

October 15, 2014 – Citizens from across the globe want balanced copyright rules that are shaped democratically, respect creators, and prioritize free expression. That’s the message of Our Digital Future: A Crowdsourced Agenda for Free Expression, a new report launched today by community-based OpenMedia. The overall consultation process took place over 2 years engaging 300,000 people from Australia to Vietnam. The report is being launched just days before a crucial round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks take place in Australia. The findings come as a significant blow to Big Media lobbyists, who have been using the secretive TPP talks to ram through extreme proposals that would censor the Internet and criminalize many everyday online activities. The report finds that over 72% of respondents want copyright rules to be created through “a participatory multi-stakeholder process” in contrast to closed-door TPP meetings from which citizens are completely excluded.

Tired of high wireless bills, Canadians want action from regulators to stop the Big Three blocking more affordable, independent wireless services

Radio ads set to air in MacKay’s riding, as Gov’t prepares to ram Bill C-13 through House of Commons, despite opposition from tens of thousands of Canadians and a Supreme Court ruling that warrantless disclosures are unconstitutional

Greenwald has worked extensively with whistleblower Edward Snowden to report on how spy agencies like Canada’s CSEC and the U.S. NSA are monitoring the private lives of law-abiding citizens on a massive scale