Over the weekend, I listened to the latest episode of one of my favorite tech podcasts, FLOSS Weekly. I was so impressed by their interview with Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group and Danny O’Brien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation that I wanted to write a quick post urging you to listen to this episode in particular.
First there is the general point of how little public participation it can take to start a new organization like the Open Rights Group. As Danny says, just 1000 people each willing to pledge a small amount annually is enough to fund a full time staff member to drive any number of public interest goals like the public education and advocacy work that ORG does. Of course as such organizations grow, like the EFF has, they are also able to expand their reach and capabilities.
Many places in the world still want for their own organizations to protect public interests, especially online. ORG shows just how easy it can be for nothing more than a critical mass of interested citizens to fill the gap.
The other things that really stuck with me were Danny’s remarks on intellectual monopolies versus market competition and how ACTA relates to the South Korean trade agreement with the US.
Even though I’ve followed after the likes of Boldren and Levine and Glyn Moody in adopting the term, “intellectual monopoly”, the simple logical consequence of such a monopoly precluding the market from competing to solve problems of access to knowledge and culture didn’t occur to me as strongly as when Danny put it into almost exactly those words. I clearly need to mull this notion over further to understand how it better informs a rhetorical response to market advocates. Economics is not my strength. But there is a fundamental quality to the suggestion that just sits well in my gut.
Like everyone else, I read through Professor Geist’s analysis of the Seoul negotiations and the leaked ACTA drafts. He compared it repeatedly to the US’s trade agreement with South Korea but didn’t offer details. Before I could research it any further, I heard this FLOSS Weekly episode where Danny gave the executive summary. Painted against the backdrop of a country whose networks were formerly so fast, so cheap and so ubiquitous, this should chill you to the bone. If ACTA has even half the consequences that the US trade agreement had on South Korea, we will be well and truly up the proverbial creek.
You know, if ORG wants to start a podcast or EFF needs help resurrecting Line Noise, I might be able to help or point them in the right directions.
The thousand fivers is currently funding two and a half people full time. I am sure if you get in contact with ORG offering to help they will have some thing you can help with.
http://www.openrightsgroup.org/contact
Plus a five second thing you can do is add a message to Mandelson over three strikes
http://threestrikes.openrightsgroup.org/
Plus if you have more time please do write a short letter to you MP.
While I am in the US, I have tried to help in the past, passing on calls for action and participating in the last fund raiser.
Thanks for the link to the site coordinating efforts against Mandelson’s plan. I have tried to write and podcast about this as it seems like it is part of concerted push not just in the UK but especially in light of ACTA just about everywhere to deputized ISPs.