June 5, 2014 - A huge international collection of experts have called on world governments to adopt the 13 International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance (IPAHRCS) — principles aimed at putting an end to the blanket surveillance of law-abiding persons. The call comes a year to the day after whistleblower Edward Snowden first revealed details about how government spy agencies, including the United States' National Security Agency, are monitoring law-abiding citizens on a massive and unprecedented scale. In the 12 months since the revelations, most world governments have ignored growing calls from citizens to put an end to this bulk collection.

Daniel Therrien, the government’s recently announced nominee for top federal privacy job, said Bill C-13 could violate privacy by allowing police to collect information about Canadians without a warrant

Letter to PM from leading Privacy Coalition experts sets out detailed critique of how Bill C-13 undermines privacy and calls for rethink of Privacy Commissioner nomination

Over 35 leading academics and 19 organizations sign on in support of the Ottawa Statement on Mass Surveillance, which sets out what needs to be done to protect Canadians from out-of-control mass surveillance

Affordable, independent providers are struggling because of years of a history of regulatory coddling of Big Telecom, says OpenMedia.ca

Huge public outcry succeeds in forcing FCC to back away from officially endorsing Big Telecom’s Slow Lane plan The U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced this morning that it will push ahead with a proposal that could create an Internet slow lane for everyone except deep-pocketed conglomerates. However, at the last minute, the FCC pulled back from their the original vision for the slow lane proposal, which is being pushed for by Big Telecom, by opening the possibility of reclassifying broadband as a telecommunications service. Experts agree that reclassification the only way to safeguard the open Internet and put an end to the prospect of slow lanes. The FCC proposal now moves into a 60-day public comment period, followed by a further 60 days for response. Nearly 100,000 people have spoken out against the Slow Lane as part of an international campaign led by OpenMedia in partnership with The Nation magazine.

Huge public outcry succeeds in forcing FCC to back away from officially endorsing Big Telecom’s Slow Lane plan

Internet users around the world are speaking out to prevent drastic new proposals that could see many favourite websites slow to a crawl. Leading Canadian Internet freedom group OpenMedia.org has teamed up with The Nation magazine and other groups to launch an international online campaign aimed at stopping the plan. Key decision-makers at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) meet Thursday to discuss a proposal from FCC Chair Tom Wheeler that would force every service that can’t pay new “prioritization” fees into a slow lane. The proposed new rules would come into effect in the U.S., but their effects would soon be felt worldwide, crippling many favorite websites and online services, while making it more expensive for people to use the Internet.

Crucial U.S. FCC meeting on Thursday could mean many of Canadians’ favourite websites and online services slow to a crawl due to the gutting “Net Neutrality” rules.

Transparent Lives: Surveillance in Canada reveals how Canadians are increasingly leading their lives under pervasive government surveillance and shows how out-of-control government spying can be curbed