Blog
18 May 2010 By William Heath
Personal Data
In the fifth of our series on the challenges the new government faces, William Heath, looks at personal data.
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17 May 2010 By Lilian Edwards
Welcome to the former Big Brother House
In the fourth of our series on the challenges the new government faces, Lilian Edwards, academic and ORG advisory council member, looks at the big privacy challenges, and particularly the review of data protection now starting in the European Union
“Day One: In what used to be the Big Brother House, Nick and Dave have decided to dismantle the database state” (quote from @futureidentity on Twitter, aka Robin Wilton)
Well, hello and welcome to the new politics – we hope.
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14 May 2010 By Paul Sanders
The Music Industry Needs Fair and Open Markets, Not Regulation
This is the third in a series of articles looking at the challenges the new government faces.
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13 May 2010 By Florian Leppla
Copyright for Creativity declaration launched
ORG has joined the initiative Copyright for Creativity.
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13 May 2010 By Alan Cox
Letting go and empowering people
This is the second of a series of articles looking at the challenges the new government faces.
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12 May 2010 By Jim Killock
Will Nick Clegg push to repeal the Digital Economy Act?
For ORG supporters, there is a lot that we can hope for from the new administration.
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10 May 2010 By Jim Killock
Data retention challenged by Digital Rights Ireland
Following rulings in Germany, Bulgaria and Romania that the Data Retention Directive is unconstitutional, Digital Rights Ireland have been given permission to challenge it in the European Court of Justice.
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06 May 2010 By Florian Leppla
Ofcom rattling ahead with Digital Economy Act letters regime
ORG and consumer groups were back in the Ofcom offices on the South Bank this lunchtime to talk about the initial obligations code.
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05 May 2010 By Jim Killock
Digital rights: an election issue
Was the Digital Economy Act an election issue for you?
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03 May 2010 By Jim Killock
Mark Laczarowicz: why I voted against the Digital Economy Act
.
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30 Apr 2010 By Florian Leppla
Notes from the Ofcom stakeholder meeting
Now that the DEBill has been rammed through Parliament and has become the DEAct it is Ofcom’s job to draft the Initial Obligations Code.
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27 Apr 2010 By Jim Killock
Email your candidates
Thank you everyone who helped to show how controversial and bad the Digital Economy Act is.
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26 Apr 2010 By Jim Killock
Lib Dem candidate for Horsham
Lib Dem candidate for Horsham makes a statement about the Digital Economy Act.
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22 Apr 2010 By Florian Leppla
Release of ACTA draft can only be the first step
After two years of negotiations behind closed doors we have finally seen a draft of ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
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22 Apr 2010 By Michael Holloway
Book giveaway: Heather Brooke’s ‘Silent State’
Heather Brooke, investigative journalist and advisor to Open Rights Group, introduces herself and her new book.
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20 Apr 2010 By Jim Killock
When copyright goes bad
Copyright activists discuss how copyright laws can go bad: something we know in the UK.
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19 Apr 2010 By Jim Killock
Tom Watson: this is the beginning
Tom Watson urges opponents of the Digital Economy Act to see this as a start, not and end; and to join the Open Rights group so we can defend our rights.
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18 Apr 2010 By Jim Killock
Caroline Lucas: against disconnection
Caroline Lucas is standing for the Greens in Brighton Pavilion, and is the main challenger to the Labour candidate Nancy Platts.
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17 Apr 2010 By Jim Killock
Eric Joyce
Eric Joyce, defending his Falkirk seat,says the Digital Economy Act is flawed and must be revised.
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16 Apr 2010 By Jim Killock
Jo Shaw: why I opposed the Digital Economy ram through
Today we heard Nick Clegg say he would repeal parts of the Digital Economy Act.
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07 Apr 2010 By Michael Holloway
New forum for next steps in Digital Economy campaign
We’ve launched a new forum, over here.
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07 Apr 2010 By Jim Killock
Phone to stop the Bill!
20,000 supporters wrote to MPs asking them to give the Digital Economy Bill proper consideration, especially giving time to consider the consequences of measure to remove internet access as a punishment for copyright infringement.
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06 Apr 2010 By Jim Killock
Thank you: it’s not over yet
Just a quick update on the debate today.
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05 Apr 2010 By Jim Killock
MPs: Please do your job
Tomorrow, adverts in the Times, Guardian and Facebook will call on MPs to make sure the Digital Economy Bill receives full debate, rather than being rushed through ‘wash-up’.
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03 Apr 2010 By Jim Killock
Disconnection notices served
On Thursday, our ‘Police’ visited the offices of the BPI, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour parties, and UK Music, and presented them with notice that the Digital Economy Bill is disconnected, from democracy, human rights, public opinion and sound business sense.
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31 Mar 2010 By Michael Holloway
Clause 18, DEB redux
Commentary on the newly published version of clause 18 of the Digital Economy Bill from cyberlaw expert Lilian Edwards, cross-posted from her blog.
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30 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
7 days to stop the Bill!
ORG and 38 Degrees are pushing to get national advertising placed just before the debate on Tuesday next week: when Parliament will, in effect, allow the Bill to be passed into ‘wash up’ without proper democratic scrutiny, denying us a national discussion about the rights and wrongs of this Bill.
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27 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Lib Dems, Tories and Labour pledge to ram disconnection through
Yesterday, Don Foster for the Liberal Democrats let his party know his position on the Digital Economy Bill.
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25 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Open letter to BPI and UK Music
To: Richard Mollet and Feargal Sharkey
Cc: Adam Liversage
Dear Richard and Feargal,
I am writing to ask for clarification on an important point: do you believe the Digital Economy Bill requires full debate in the House of Commons?
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24 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Corporate lobbyists: No need for democracy
Yet again, the BPI are calling to remove democratic safeguards.
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19 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
10,000 letters sent to MPs to demand disconnection debate
10,000 UK citizens have written to MPs in les than three days to demand a debate on the Digital Economy Bill.
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18 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Seven thousand people email their MPs in under two days
A tidal wave of objections to disconnection being rushed through Parliament are reach MPs inboxes.
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16 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
What Panorama didn’t talk about: our rights
Yesterday, I debated the Digital Economy Bill in front of law students and academics.
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15 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Home taping is killing music
Dan Bull’s latest from Dontdisconnect.
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14 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Well done Lib Dems
The Digital Economy Bill’s disconnection and web censorship proposals suffered a massive blow today as Liberal Democrats voted unanimously to oppose these draconian measures.
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13 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Label bosses warn debate could cost them disconnection
A leaked memo from label lobbyists shows they expect Parliament to pass their plans for draconian disconnection punishments without debate.
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11 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
BPI drafted web blocking
Just in case you were wondering where the idea for a web blocking amendment came from, we attach to this blog post a copy of the BPI’s draft, along with their justification for it.
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11 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Conservatives need to ditch disconnection
Today at midday, the Conservatives are announcing manifesto plans for faster broadband and a ‘data freedom act’ to release masses of government data.
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10 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Letter to the FT
ORG, alongside consumer and industry groups, had this letter published in the Financial Times today
Amendment 120A Digital Economy Bill March 10th, 2010
Dear Sirs,
We regret that the House of Lords last week adopted amendment 120A to the Digital Economy Bill.
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09 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
ORG meets Lib Dems
Yesterday ORG met with Liberal Democrats about their new Clause 17, proposing web blocking.
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08 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
What the Lib Dem web blocking amendment shows
The Lib Dems’ web blocking amendment created an eruption of anger last week, which rumbles on this week as Lib Dem members, bloggers and others are asking how their party, based on the principal of freedom and liberty, got this so wrong.
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03 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Confirmed: web blocking in Digital Economy Bill
Despite firm warnings from ourselves, Consumer Focus and others, Liberal Democrat and Tory peers Lord Clement Jones and Howard pushed through an amendment allowing the courts to order web blocking for ‘substantially infringing’ websites.
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03 Mar 2010 By Francis Davey
Francis Davey: quick analysis
It’s technically defective, for instance:
[1] there’s no power to vary or discharge the injunction
[2] the definition of “online location” is insufficiently precise –
almost all internet gateways would be covered for instance
But the most enormous defect is in 97B(4) – the proposed costs
provision.
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03 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Conservatives and Lib Dems push web blocking
Now, in an even more dangerous amendment, Lib Dems and Conservatives push for web blocking.
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02 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
Lib Dems seek web blocking
After Clause 16
LORD RAZZALL
LORD CLEMENT-JONES
112
Insert the following new Clause—
“Preventing access to specified online locations
In Part 1 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, after section 97A insert—
“97B
Preventing access to specified online locations
(1)
The High Court (in Scotland, the Court of Session) shall have power to grant an injunction against a service provider, requiring it to prevent access to online locations specified in the order of the Court.
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02 Mar 2010 By Florian Leppla
Passionate debate in the Lords last night as government fails to clarify the bill
The Lords laid into the government last night, in a very emotive and passionate debate.
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01 Mar 2010 By Jim Killock
First day of real voting: a test for the Lords
Today the real voting on amendments to the Digital Economy Bill gets underway.
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25 Feb 2010 By Jim Killock
The Death of open wifi
Government notes from the Digital Economy Bill Team admit that cafes and other similar businesses will face disconnection: but say that a combination of blocking technologies and the right to appeal means they will be ok:
The type of free or “coffee shop” access is a basic bandwidth service which offers users access to e-mail and web browsing.
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22 Feb 2010 By Jim Killock
Has the government changed its position on Disconnection? No
When is ‘disconnection’ not disconnection?
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20 Feb 2010 By David Durant
Directors’ Election results
As Electoral Returning Officer, I would like to thank the candidates and everyone who voted in Open Rights Group’s first ever Board election, and also Francis Davey, Michael Holloway and David Gerard for helping with the election process.
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17 Feb 2010 By Suw Charman Anderson
Join us for Ada Lovelace Day, 24 March 2010
Every year we hear the lament, “Where are all the women in tech?
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17 Feb 2010 By Jim Killock
BBC iplayer DRM raises its head again
The BBC is announcing a new iPlayer iphone app today: providing, they will say, new ways for BBC citizens to access content.
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10 Feb 2010 By Florian Leppla
HL Committee on the Digital Economy Bill
(Cross-posted from panGloss)
Yes, that again:-)
As Twitter and ORG resders may know, I’m meaning to write some kind of interim summary of what the Committee stage in the House of Lords has “fixed” in the Digital Economy Bill with respect to the file-sharing and copyright provisions (A: not a lot) and what still needs urgently brought up at Report Stage and if necessary all the way to and through the Commons (A: an awful lot).
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05 Feb 2010 By Jim Killock
Parliamentarians defend right to a fair trial
The Joint Committee on Human Rights has released their analysis of the Digital Economy BIll, which has a pretty damning conclusion: we have the right to a free trial.
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05 Feb 2010 By Jim Killock
ORG on Culture Show calling for justice
ORG’s Cory Doctorow and Jim Killock call for removal of disconnection on Culture Show
Mark Thomas presents a ten minute slot on the Digital Economy BIll’s proposals to disconnect anyone whose account is used for copyright infringement.
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04 Feb 2010 By Jim Killock
Educationalists want Bill to exempt them from disconnection
Universities, libraries and schools are calling for changes to guarantee they are not cut off or fined because of their students and users:
“Because public institutions often provide internet access to hundreds or thousands of individual users, the complexity of our position in relation to copyright infringements must be taken into consideration.
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03 Feb 2010 By Jim Killock
Siôn Simon’s departure spells further danger for Digital Economy Bill
Siôn Simon, the junior minister who would have been piloting the Digital Economy Bill through the Commons, has left his job in order to run for Mayor of Birmingham.
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03 Feb 2010 By Jim Killock
Siôn Simon’s departure spells further danger for Digital Economy Bill
Siôn Simon, the junior minister who would have been piloting the Digital Economy Bill through the Commons, has left his job in order to run for Mayor of Birmingham.
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03 Feb 2010 By Jim Killock
Siôn Simon’s departure spells further danger for Digital Economy Bill
Siôn Simon, the junior minister who would have been piloting the Digital Economy Bill through the Commons, has left his job in order to run for Mayor of Birmingham.
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03 Feb 2010 By Jim Killock
Siôn Simon’s departure spells further danger for Digital Economy Bill
Siôn Simon, the junior minister who would
have been piloting the Digital Economy Bill through the Commons, has left his
job in order to run for Mayor of Birmingham.
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01 Feb 2010 By Jim Killock
Thank you for helping fight for our rights
We just wanted to give everyone who came to our workshops, and who will be writing or talking to their MPs about the Bill.
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29 Jan 2010 By Michael Holloway
Changes to the Board: David Harris stepping down
At the most recent meeting of our board of directors, on 14 January, David Harris announced his intention to step down from his responsibilities with Open Rights.
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22 Jan 2010 By Jim Killock
Ofcom BBC HD consultation launched
Ofcom BBC HD consultation launched
A very quick note to say that Ofcom have launched there consultation, here:
http://www.
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22 Jan 2010 By Jim Killock
Lords show DEB’s deficiencies
Many of you will have been following ORG’s updates on Twitter through the Digital Economy debates; we’ve been attending the debates, as well as working hard to make sure as many of you as possible are able to respond yourself.
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08 Jan 2010 By Jim Killock
How to talk to your MP: training days
The Open Rights Group wants to help you get your voice heard: by helping you to talk to your MP.
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06 Jan 2010 By Jim Killock
Digital Economy Bill in Lords Committee today
The line by line Committee debate on the Digital Economy Bill starts today, and is likely to last through January, according to the current Parliamentary business papers.
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15 Dec 2009 By Jim Killock
This is a debate about legal rights and free speech
A number of times talking about the Digital Economy Bill, we have found MPs have been briefed by others to expect us to defend ‘freeloading’ copyright infringement.
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11 Dec 2009 By Michael Holloway
Bruce Schneier – video and book giveaway
Bruce Schneier did a benefit gig for Open Rights Group last Friday and here’s the video of his ‘Future of Privacy’ talk and the 45-minute Q&A.
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Digital Privacy
08 Dec 2009 By Jason Kitcat
London e-counting: Boris doesn’t want to know
An update following on from the Greater London Assembly’s decision to charge ahead with e-counting regardless of the cost or criticism from the Electoral Commission.
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04 Dec 2009 By Jim Killock
Lords raise concerns
Several ORG supporters and staff sat in the public gallery of the Lords to watch Wednesday’s Digital Economy’s second reading debate, and many more of you watched proceedings online, and, as the Lords might have it, provided a publicly accessible commentary on the Twitter service.
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01 Dec 2009 By Michael Holloway
The Digital Economy Bill – a first critical look
Francis Davey has prepared for us a legal analysis of the copyright infringement provisions of the Digital Economy Bill, summarising its problems as follows
the key question of who will be disconnected from the internet and for what reason is subject to no democratic control and requires no consultation to be made;
although the codes must be objectively justifiable, non-discriminatory, proportionate and transparent this most important question will be decided by order of the Secretary of State who is not required to be adhere to any principles of proportionality etc;
some decisions (such as whether there has been a copyright infringement) that affect individuals will not be subject to appeal; those that are may not have an adequate route of appeal;
many of the important details are left to codes of practice which will not be subject to sufficient parliamentary scrutiny – in some cases there need be no scrutiny at all;
the Bill has an inflexible and stereotyped view of the way in which access to the internet is provided which ignores many useful and important business models: many business from Weatherspoons and Macondalds to the British Library and local community access projects will be affected and may have to cease to provide internet access.
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01 Dec 2009 By Jim Killock
Liberty: disconnection is disproportionate and indiscriminate
Liberty are condemning the Digital Economy Bill’s file sharing measures on human rights grounds, saying it “runs wholly counter to a human rights compliant approach”.
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01 Dec 2009 By Jim Killock
Write to the Lords today
Tomorrow, the Digital Economy Bill is debated by the Lords in its Second Reading.
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27 Nov 2009 By Jim Killock
ORG is four: we need your help
Four years ago, the ORG story began, with 1,000 digital activists signing up on Pledge Bank to pay £5 a month to create a Digital Rights campaign.
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27 Nov 2009 By Jim Killock
Dan Bull: Dear Mandy
After 25,000 signatures on the Number 10 petition, if you want something else to do, then why not send a message to Mandelson yourself?
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26 Nov 2009 By Jim Killock
Adopt your MP today!
Please adopt your MP and visit them to explain why disconnection is wrong!
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24 Nov 2009 By Michael Holloway
Mandy and Me: some thoughts on the Digital Economy Bill
Lilian Edwards, one of our Advisory Council, has this superb post about the Digital Economy Bill on her excellent panGloss blog:
So, once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, where the breach is of copyright of course.
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24 Nov 2009 By Jim Killock
ORG supporters jump by 20%, 15k sign petition
Since Mandelson announced that disconnection will be on the agenda, nearly 200 people have joined the Open Rights Group as a donating supporter.
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20 Nov 2009 By Jim Killock
Digital Economy Bill
Finally, the Digital Economy Bill is released, first through an online music industry website, and then several hours late, on their official website.
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18 Nov 2009 By Jim Killock
Queen’s Speech introduces disconnection
The innocuous sounding Digital Economy Bill will include proposals for a ‘Three Strikes’ internet disconnection law.
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17 Nov 2009 By Michael Holloway
Phone your MP: tell them your vote is at stake
Next week, plans to disconnect music fans who download music illegally will be introduced by the government, as part of their Digital Economy bill.
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11 Nov 2009 By Michael Holloway
Recruiting a campaigner
The Open Rights Group is looking for a full time campaigner to lead our copyright work for one year, with a possibility of extension.
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30 Oct 2009 By Michael Holloway
Supporter update – October 2009
Here’s the monthly round-up of our activities and press.
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30 Oct 2009 By Jim Killock
UK government threatened by EU over Phorm
Complaints by the Open Rights Group and others last year to the European Union Commission about Phorm, the technology that looks inside web traffic to profile users for advertising, have now resulted in further legal threats against the UK government from by the EU.
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28 Oct 2009 By Jim Killock
Mandelson gives go ahead to ‘three strikes’
Listening to Lord Mandelson today at C&binet was very unpleasant.
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27 Oct 2009 By Michael Holloway
Come see Bruce Schneier talk in London
Event with Bruce Schneier – ‘The Future of Privacy: Rethinking Security Trade-offs’
We live in a unique time in our technological history.
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23 Oct 2009 By Michael Holloway
Ask your MP to protect your rights today
This week, the Guardian published the results of an ORG / YouGov poll showing 70% public support for the right to a fair trial.
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20 Oct 2009 By Jim Killock
ORG signs letter opposing Oracle take over of MySQL
The Open Rights Group has joined Knowledge Ecology International and Richard Stallman in signing a letter opposing Oracle’s takeover of MySQL.
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19 Oct 2009 By Michael Holloway
Recruiting a part-time administrator
The Open Rights Group, the UK’s leading advocates for digital freedoms, is recruiting for a part-time position.
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19 Oct 2009 By Jim Killock
YouGov poll: disconnection is a clear vote loser
Our new YouGov poll, paid for by the generous donations of ORG supporters like you, shows exactly why Mandelson’s disconnection proposals are such a bad idea.
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16 Oct 2009 By Jim Killock
Mounting opposition to internet fundamental rights climbdown at EU
While ORG supporters have been writing to MEPs in obvious dismay at the Parliamentary negotiators climbdown, European ISPs, consumer groups and others today piled into the debate.
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15 Oct 2009 By Jim Killock
EU Parliament’s credibility undermined by back track on citizens’ rights
Amendment 138, guaranteeing Internet access and protecting fundamental civil liberties, is being watered down by Parliamentary negotiators seeking a compromise with the EU Council.
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