There is a serious threat to Internet freedom, and you are urged to take part in an action Monday, Dec. 3.
The threat is not about the latest Facebook privacy vote, or some bogus virus message.
An obscure international meeting next week could give a top-down, non-transparent UN body (one with representation from many dictatorships) the power to regulate the Internet. It's called the ITU.
According to a National Public Radio report, simply opening the door to greater controls by the ITU raises concern among activists and others. They worry that countries with tightly controlled cyberspace such as China, Iran and Gulf Arab states will push for additions to the ITU's treaty — such as national security monitoring — that could be used to give legitimacy both to their current efforts to monitor and restrict the Web and to possible future clampdowns.
The ITU would literally give dictators like Syria's Assad (who was trending yesterday for--it seems--cutting Syria off from the Internet) a role in crucial decisions about the Internet's future.
You can learn more here: http://internetcoup.org/ (scroll down for a video and background reading).
Remember-- it's up to you whether or not to participate; those who have installed the "all future campaigns" code will participate by default. The widget for this action lets your visitors email and call the ITU delegations in their country. You can preview its style and functionality on internetcoup.org.
We're still working on the widget code itself. For now you can install the "All campaigns" code here, and this will activate on Monday Dec. 3rd: http://members.internetdefenseleague.org
Finally, we'd like to invite you to take the first steps to building a country-by-country presence for the IDL. The goal? Independent IDL's with the ability to mobilize users in every country in the world, both for domestic and international campaigns. If you're interested in organizing an IDL in your country contact us: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
And please share this page with your contacts in as many countries as possible: http://internetdefenseleague.org/international
bytewriter.com proudly supports action by the Internet Defense League.
