tatiweb on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:26:33 +0200 (CEST)


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[Nettime-nl] Oproep : Don’t let the EU parliament lock up the Internet! There will be no way back!


Beste Nettime:

Het wordt moeilijk om dit allemaal te vertalen en posten in het Nederlands. Mijn excuses ervoor.

Claudia


On May 6th, pressure from EU citizens has meant that the Directives that attempted to privatize the Internet were not passed in the vote in the European Parliament. This Autumn the Package will be negotiated again.
The group La quadrature du Net, http://www.laquadrature.net/    had   
big roll on campaigning  to 'save the internet' in France ( and the   
EU for now) . Their campaign included also films like the one based on  
' Brazil'  ( link under the text ) and these films were very effective  
on their campaign.
Wouldn't be an idea to get together as many (youtube) films, (picasa/  
flickr) photos  as possible that talk about this situation? My idea is  
that as many people as possible  upload (youtube) films, (flickr and  
picasa) images,  that inform the public about this issue and tag it  
with words as ' netneutrality, net-neutrality, telecompackage, save  
the internet'   so they can be found.  And/or if people favorite,  
rate, share these videos/photos, digg them, facebook them, myspace  
them,  hyves them, live spaces them, del.icio.us them, StumbleUpon  
them , etc, they might have some attention.
Lets spread the idea that we can do something to keep the internet  
open to all.  As internet is culture and it is made by us all, please,  
feel absolutely free to make, copy, re-upload, translate, transform a  
piece of work that inform the public ( and inspire / ask individuals  
to call their EU parlamentar) and upload it on youtube. If making  
films, images, music, etc  is not ' your thing' , you would be helping  
by spreading the word and/or calling your EU representative .
 list of members of European Parliament by country  http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Political_Memory

For those of you that work with (media) education:
would you think it would be an idea for your students to produce something to inform the public and ask individuals to call their EU representatives about this?
More information on the issue:
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/it-is-crucial-to-save-net-neutrality
http://www.laquadrature.net/Telecoms_Package
http://www.blackouteurope.eu
http://www.savetheinternet.com/
http://www.rehash.nl/ ( there is a talk about European Internet Law 'telecoms package' called ' hack the law' ).
videos on the subject:
US
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_5Ic5Ic0u4
http://www.youtube.com/reaziazevedo
French
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8qixn_hadopi-brazil_news
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x73zwf_episode-2-de-dede-ca-va-couper-loi_news
EU
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6s1dd_mep-cfjellner-on-telecoms-package-a_news


Defend our right to an open and universal Internet in 2009

Don’t let the EU parliament lock up the Internet! There will be no way back!
On May 6th,  pressure from EU citizens has meant that the Directives  
that attempted to privatize the Internet were not passed in the vote  
in the European Parliament. This Autumn the Package will be negotiated  
again.
IN THE EUROPEAN ELECTIONS ON JUNE 6TH DO NOT VOTE FOR THE PARTIES  
WHICH WANT TO GIFT OUR RIGHT OF ACCESS TO THE INTERNET TO PRIVATE  
INTERESTS.
After monitoring the votes of the Members of the European Parliament  
in the vote of the so called “Telecoms Package” (explained below) and  
which is now a "fundamental Basic Right” that we (the citizens) will  
remember the parties that voted against it, both Parties of Government  
and the Opposition equally, that they were willing to gift our right  
to a free and egalitarian communication through the Internet to  
private multinationals corporations.
Citizens can remember and check it in this graphic where they can find  
the vote of all the  Members of the Parliament in the Telcoms’ Package  
vote (100% is the vote more favorable, 0% to private lobbies)
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…socializes online… listens to music…watches video…
INDEX

1- WHAT THEY WANT TO ENFORCE
2- CONSEQUENCES FOR ALL OF US
3- OUR VOTES
4- HOW OUR POLITICIANS ACT


WHAT THEY WANT TO ENFORCE

The internet as we know it is at risk. The new rules in the EU (the Telecoms package) voted on May 6 and will be negotiated again in Autumn propose that 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.
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). This possibility improves citizen’s life and  
makes access to knowledge easier to everyone, but force the industry  
(telecommunications, entertainment…) to lose power and control. Access  
providers have now learned that controlling access they can control  
the Information Society development. That is why they are pushing to  
act those changes.
The excuse is to promote competition, offering choices to users which  
better fit their behavior on the Internet and, by collaborating with  
sectors interested in the promotion of lawful content (aka the  
entertainment industry), 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.
 CONSEQUENCES FOR ALL OF US

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..
Tim Berners-Lee, father of the World Wide Web  talks about the USA, 
….but in Europe the same is happening the same.
Just think – what’s your web address? (the one in your blog, your  
web…) If the Members of the European Parliament agree to the measures  
proposed in the Telecoms Package, 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 already happening in Germany with the  
iPhone,). 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.
OUR VOTES

They have to remember that they are the servants of the citizens that vote for them and not servants of the large corporations. Internet still gives us the tools to be watching and judging what they are doing!. On the website http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Telecoms_package_directives_2nd_reading you may refer to the vote of each MEP. You must know that you are not alone: hundreds of organizations and citizens are lobbying the politicians. To avoid the Directive being passed, last May 6th thousands of letters were sent. As a result the amendments which intended to limit and privatize the Internet were avoided, at least for the moment.
 HOW OUR POLITICIANS ACT

The EU proposals hold an enormous risk for our future. If they become Law, it 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, that it will not affect them. However, in reality, hiding from public view, the amendments are about the way the Internet will operate in future. Text about your rights to access and distribute content, services and applications, has being crossed out. And the text that has being brought in, says that broadband providers must inform you of any conditions limiting access, or restrictions to your access. It has 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 provider will have the legal right to limit your access or to impose conditions, otherwise why would they need to tell you? If the Telecoms Package as it reads now is finally agreed, the changes will not be reversible.
PLEASE SPREAD THIS INFORMATION!


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