We’re 3000 strong

On Theresa May’s first day back in office she didn’t wait to re-arrange her desk plants, but instead committed to her favourite piece of legislation: The Snoopers’ Charter. [1] It’s a discredited Bill that Parliament said gave insufficient attention to our human rights. It would give the powers of GCHQ to the Police. We don’t yet know when it’s going to happen, but we do know that we need to be ready for the big announcement.

And this law is just one in a long list of goals the Government have to attack our digital rights:

Scrapping the Human Rights Act.

Requiring Internet service providers to block websites.

Enabling employers to check whether an individual is an extremist.

Making every message readable by the state – even when we’ve encrypted it.

We’re also worried that they may revive plans for a universally applied block list of extremist sites.

And they just announced yet another counter-terrorism bill which is expected to contain more restrictions on free speech, such as to require “extremists” to ask the police for permission to post on the Internet. [2]

We have some tough fights ahead, including winning over as many Conservative MPs as possible to our side.

Can you join ORG to help us win?

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/join

We might not have the tempering influence of the Lib Dems to keep the Home Office in check:

But this time what we have is you.

In the past few days, 200 people joined ORG or increased their donation when they heard the annoucement.

In 2013 we saw the Snoopers’ Charter declared dead after a year of campaigning. Then earlier this year 4 House of Lords peers tried to sneak it in again by adding 18 pages of amendments to the Counter Terrorism and Security Bill. It was thanks to a quick response by ORG supporters, that it was stopped both times. For the first time ORG has over 3000 members: with all of us working together we can stop it again.

Just this week a group of our supporters met together in London to plan local activism in the fight against the Snoopers’ Charter, and we’ll be announcing more actions in a couple of days.

Can you commit £5/month to support our work?

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/join

Thank you,

Ruth

[1] The Independent – Snoopers’ charter set to return to law as Theresa May suggests Conservative majority could lead to huge increase in surveillance powers

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/snoopers-charter-set-to-return-to-law-as-theresa-may-suggests-conservative-majority-could-lead-to-huge-increase-in-surveillance-powers-10235578.html [2] David Cameron to unveil new limits on extremists’ activities in Queen’s speech

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/13/counter-terrorism-bill-extremism-disruption-orders-david-cameron