[SC.LUG] Fwd: Fwd: Help beat the Snooper's Charter - free workshops

[Richard Smedley]

----- Forwarded message -----
From: "Jim Killock"
Subject: Help beat the Snooper's Charter - free workshops

We're running a series of free workshops over the next few weeks to help 
you learn about the "Snooper's Charter" and censorship and practice 
lobbying your MP.

Join us and become a digital rights champion! Here's where we'll be and 
when, with links to the Eventbrite pages where you can sign up:

- London, Wednesday, 20 June: http://orglondontraining.eventbrite.com/
- Edinburgh, Saturday 23 June: http://orgedinburghtraining.eventbrite.com/
- Manchester, Wednesday 27 June: 
http://orgmanchestertraining.eventbrite.com/
- Sheffield, Thursday 28 June: http://bit.ly/orgshefcst
- Birmingham, Wednesday, 4 July: 
http://orgbirminghamtraining.eventbrite.com/
- Bristol, Saturday 7 July: http://orgbristoltraining.eventbrite.com/


*What's happening?*

Open Rights Group needs your help to defeat the latest attacks on 
internet freedom! We need to convince MPs that they should oppose new 
proposals for more surveillance and censorship.

These training sessions will help you learn about two of the biggest 
current digital rights issues. And we'll help you practice how to 
discuss them with your MP. The training will last for around four hours. 
First we will give you a good background briefing on the issues and an 
overview of the campaigns. Then we will do some practical training on 
how to speak to your MP, and cover other campaigning ideas too.

We'll be covering two big topics:

1. The "Snoopers' Charter" - aka the Communications Data Bill - was 
announced in the Queen's speech and is about to be published by the 
government. The bill will create new powers to intercept and collect 
information about who you talk to online. Your communications via 
Google, Facebook or Skype will now be open to what may be a large number 
of government officials. We want to see the powers to collect and access 
communications data tightened up, not extended ever further.

2. Internet censorship. The government is considering whether Internet 
Service Providers should have to block websites that contain 'adult 
content' by default, with an 'opt out' for uncensored access. That would 
mean an infrastructure of censorship that could, through mistakes, abuse 
or mission creep, lead to more and more content being blocked for people 
in the UK. Our research 
(http://www.openrightsgroup.org/ourwork/reports/mobile-internet-censorship:-whats-happening-and-what-we-can-do-about-it) 
on mobile Internet censorship recently showed how often the wrong 
websites can be filtered, for example. We want to prevent this further 
move towards private policing of the internet and free speech, and 
recommend better ways to help parents manage their children's Internet 
access.

You can help stop these proposals. And we are here to help you!

You don't need any previous knowledge of the issues or experience 
talking with your MP.

Join us. And tell your friends!


Thank you,

Jim Killock
Executive Director


If you like what we do, then why not join ORG? 
http://www.openrightsgroup.org/join