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The European open internet is under imminent threat


Seffiks

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URGENT - VOTING IN EU PARLIAMENT 5th of MAY 2009

Don't let the EU parliament lock up the Internet! There will be no way back!

 

Act now!

Internet access is not conditional

 

Everyone who owns a website has an interest in defending the free use of Internet... so has everyone who uses Google or Skype... everyone who expresses their opinions freely, does research of any kind, whether for personal health problems or academic study ... everyone who shops online...who dates online...socialises online... listens to music...watches video...

Millions of Europeans now depend on the Internet, directly or indirectly, for their livelihood. Taking it away, chopping it up, ‘restricting it', ‘limiting it' and placing conditions on our use of it, will have a direct impact on people's earnings. And in the current financial climate, that can't be good.

The internet as we know it is at risk because of proposed new EU rules going through end of April. Under the proposed new rules, broadband providers will be legally able to limit the number of websites you can look

at, and to tell you whether or not you are allowed to use particular services. It will be dressed up as ‘new consumer options' which people can choose from. People will be offered TV-like packages - with a limited

number of options for you to access.

It means that the Internet will be packaged up and your ability to access and to put up content could be severely restricted. It will create boxes of Internet accessibility, which don't fit with the way we use it today. This is because internet is now permitting exchanges between persons which cannot be controlled or "facilitated" by any middlemen (the state or a corporation) and this possibility improves the citizen's life but force the industry to lose power and control. that's why they are pushing governments to act those changes.

The excuse is to control the flow of music, films and entertainment content against the alleged piracy by downloading for free, using P2P file-sharing. However, the real victims of this plan will be all Internet users and the democratic and independent access to information, culture goods.

Think about how you use the Internet! What would it mean to you if free access to the Internet was taken away?

These days, the Internet is about life and freedom. It's about shopping, booking theatre tickets ... holidays, learning, job-seeking, banking, and trade. It's also about the fun things - dating, chatting, invitations, music, entertainment, joking and even a Second Life. It is a tool to express ourselves, to collaborate, innovate, share, stimulate new business ideas, reach new markets - thrive without middlemen..

Just think - what's your web address? Unless people have that address in their "package" of regular websites - they won't be able to find you. That means they can't buy, or book, or register, or even view you online. Your business won't be able to find niche suppliers of goods - and compare prices. If you get any money at all from advertising on your site, it will diminish. Yes, Amazon and a select few will be OK, they will be the included in the package. But your advertising on Google or any other website, will be increasingly worthless. Skype could be blocked. (As it is in Germany in the use from iPhone, already). Small businesses could literally disappear, especially specialist, niche or artisan businesses.

If we don't do something now - we could lose free and open use of the internet. Our freedom (of choice in information, market, culture, pleasure) will be curtailed. The EU proposals hold an enormous risk for our future. They are about to become Law - and will be virtually impossible to reverse. People (even the members of the European Parliament who are voting on it) don't really seem to understand the full implications and the legal changes are wrapped up in something called "Telecoms Package" which lulls people into thinking it is just about industry.

However, in reality, hiding from public view, the amendments are about the way the Internet will operate in future! Text that expresses your rights to access and distribute content, services and applications, is being crossed out. And the text that is being brought in, says that broadband providers must inform you of any limitations, or restrictions to your broadband service. Alternative versions use the word ‘conditions' - and it is seriously being proposed that you will be told the conditions of use of Internet services. This is made to sound good - it is dressed up as ‘transparency' - except that of course it means that the broadband providerwill have the legal right restrict your access or impose conditions,otherwise why would they need tell you? If the Telecoms Package amendmentsare voted in, the changes will not be reversible.

We all have a stake in the Internet! You need to act now to save it!

What can you do about it?

Tell the European Parliament to vote against conditional access to the Internet! Remind them that they need your vote in June and that internet still give us the tools to be watching and judging what they are doing! (link a la quadrature du net) You must know you are not alone: hundreds of organizations are working on that and thousands of people have already contact their parliamentarians about this issue.

So, act now:

1 - Email, write to or phone your MEP - follow this link to get theirdetails - a suggested template letter is attached. You can also use the following software that send the letter directly to all the parliamentarians. Believe, they will really receive it and they will really feel the pressure. You are welcome to personalize the letter and include information that will make MEPs wake up, take note and take appropriate action.

2 - Forward this email to everyone you know so that they can take action.

3 - Syndicate this page so that you keep been informed: disinformation is what they count on, we must be aware. Text for people to cut and paste to MEP: The coalition version needs to have instructions for people from each country. coalition members need to get a translated version online in their own languages and link to the LQ site for their own MEPs.

Suggest you indicate:

 

Here are the MEPs who are important in the process.

Here are the MEPs from [your country] [or list each country of the coalition] .

This is suggested letter / email to send to your MEP. Personalise this email to include your own Internet use in your personal and business life. Change the sentence in red to personalise the email and tell the MEP how you individually use the Internet or just take it off.

 

This is really fucked, I really hope this shit don't happen, why would they want to limit the availability of information?

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i never got sent a voters card, and im not going to go out of my way to tell my govt where i reside so this will be un-doable for me...

 

 

You don't need to be registered to vote to send an email.

 

Also, just give them a fake address or your parent's or something. Not too hard.

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This is really fucked, I really hope this shit don't happen, why would they want to limit the availability of information?

 

I can think of about a thousand reasons why, but the top three that will get thrown around the most will be-

 

1. Kiddie porn

 

2. Piracy

 

3. Terrorism

 

Except trying to fight any of those by filtering traffic won't work.

 

It's pretty obvious that this is really about is taking net neutrality out of the picture so ISPs can determine what content reaches the users...basically, if you have a website and want access to their subscribers, you'll have to pay and/or have your content vetted by them.

 

One way to look at this is that it's a scheme to keep profits up because the user cost of broadband is going down as it becomes more competitive. One way to offset the loss is to make websites pay to get access to your network, but I have a really hard time imagining how that's going to work especially if your hosted on a network that blocks access to your site...how would that shake out?

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I'm not wishing this on anyone but I doubt business owners and the general population here would be fooled into this bullshit.

The only places I've heard of with this is Totalitarian countries mainly in the Middle East.

I still get hits on my little bullshit site from there occasionally but I get daily hits sometimes multiple hits from the EU and it would suck to loose that traffic.

Not to mention this site loosing members because it's content is deemed as negative or whatever.

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It's "the Big Lie" in practice. This has nothing to do with making the internet or the world at large safer, it's about controlling something that was never possible to control by design. The funny thing is that it's not going to work against the people who are committed to doing shady things on the web, and will only end up politicizing a lot of people who are legit. I think the breaking points will be video streaming sites and international news outlets...if the ISPs try to filter those to any great degree then they will invalidate the "we're doing this for your own good" argument to people who aren't doing anything besides trying to watch al-Jazeera.

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Mercer you have too much faith in the minds of the general population. It will be gift wrapped as an "essential to beating terrorism" "It will protect our impressionable children"

 

Just watch a third of our population is retarded, it will be another credulous acceptance.

 

GO AMERICA!

 

cyniconer

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Mercer you have too much faith in the minds of the general population. It will be gift wrapped as an "essential to beating terrorism" "It will protect our impressionable children"

 

Just watch a third of our population is retarded, it will be another credulous acceptance.

 

GO AMERICA!

 

cyniconer

 

This isn't happening in the US (right now), this was proposed in the EU. They tend to be a little more aware of things like this, which is why it's a little more surprising and worrisome.

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HELLA DEEP BRAH

 

Sarcasm really fucking confuses some people on here, huh? Whatever, I'll take a loss and say I didn't make it crystal clear enough for you.

 

Let's say I was serious when I made the sheeple comment. I'm not about that tinfoil hat bullshit, but think about it for a second. I personally would think restricting the availability of information could be considered a step towards some serious infringements on rights.

 

Just saying.

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This is the response I got. I can't really make any clear proposals out from the politician chat, although it might be clearer if I had read the actual bill etc and not just the front page of that website. He talks a lot about competition though, and this coupled with, "your rights to access a wide range of content and services", sound a bit ominous. Watch the video as well. Slightly more reassuring but who knows...

 

 

"Dear ****,

 

Thank you very much for your email raising concerns about the Telecoms

Package. I entirely agree with you that consumers should be able to

freely use the Internet and benefit from its immense potential. We

should all be able to decide which service we wish to subscribe to, in

line with our own preferences with respect to the type of service and

content we want to access.

 

Unfortunately I fear that you have been misled with respect to the

proposed changes to the EU communications framework laws. The reforms

are intended to open up choice and competition, not restrict it.

Existing National laws across the EU already allow operators to provide

differentiated services, accommodating the diverse needs and desires of

consumers across the market place.

 

The purpose of this review is to increase consumer protection, by

strengthening operators' obligations to be transparent and provide

information on contract conditions, including any limitations or

restrictions which may apply to the services in question. In order for

competition to operate effectively in the consumer interest, consumers

need to be fully informed of the terms on which the services they

contract for are provided, and they should also be free to switch

providers easily and at no additional cost.

In addition, we are also increasing the enforcement powers of national

regulators, enabling them to take action against operators who are in

breach of regulatory obligations, and empowering them to impose minimum

quality of service requirements on all operators.

 

These quality obligations would ensure that operators are not able to

degrade, throttle or block applications, content or services in ways

which are anticompetitive.

 

The current Framework has worked very well in driving the development of

Internet services, and promoting fierce competition and high levels of

innovation, to the benefit of all European citizens and European

competitiveness. The major improvements we are making to the rules will

provide incentives for investment in new broadband and wireless

services.

 

Conservative MEPs in the European Parliament are committed to strong and

active consumers in an open and competitive market. We will continue to

work, in this and other initiatives, to ensure that your rights to

access a wide range of content and services over the Internet continue

to be safeguarded.

 

You may also find the link below useful.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwOVtEYY1iM

 

Best wishes,

 

Struan

 

Struan STEVENSON MEP

 

Vice President of the EPP-ED Group "

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