Understated threat to Internet freedoms - this time from the EU

Please translate and send to the Press in your country

[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE]

Opennetcoalition calls for protection of European citizens and users rights on Internet

Amendments to the "Telecoms Package" before the European Parliament will likely mean that Internet users and citizens will no longer have unmonitored Internet access
and free access to websites of their choice.

* This proposed EU regime has many privacy and civil rights issues it is contrary to articles 7, 8, 11 and 16 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights(1).
* The idea of "3 strikes and you are out" is almost Stalinist in outlook. This is not the Europe that citizens want, but the one that some politicians are starting to build.
* An ISP(2) can decide which website you can visit, arbitrary websites could possibly be blocked under this regime. You may have to pay more to visit "foreign" websites.
* The damage this will this cause to our international reputation is enormous.
* The financial implications for citizens and companies of this filtering system will be large, taxpayers will have to pay for these additional costs.
* Many companies will send their servers out of the EU so that they can continue to guarantee connectivity. Many others will not be able to export their products and services
* The proposed solutions are essentially futile.

The Opennetcoalition are calling simply for Net Neutrality and the rights of users to be respected and protected.
The function of an ISP is to deliver your message intact and without interference, to the destination, wherever that may be.

None of this precludes proper judicial oversight or any agencies seeking a specific remedy in the Courts, in respect of infringing sites and users.

The specific issues are explained in a number of languages on our website.

###
ENDS

Notes:
1. Security and Fundamental Freedoms on the Internet

2. ISP : Internet Service Provider

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ABOUT the Europe wide Opennetcoalition

Free Knowledge Institute - Wouter Tebbens
P2P Foundation - Celia Blanco and Michel Bauwens
eXgae - Simona Levi
ISOC-ECC - Christopher Wilkinson
Ireland Offline - Eamonn Wallace
Hispalinux - Jorge Fuentes
Arbeitskreis Vorratsdatenspeicherung - Ralf Bendrath
Asociacion de Internautas - Victor Domingo
IT-Political Association of Denmark - Niels Elgaard Larsen
Istituto per le Politiche dell'Innovazione - Guido Scorza
Associazione Scambio Etico - Paolo Brini
EDRI - Niels Elgaard Larsen
La Quadrature du Net - Jérémie Zimmermann
Open Rights Group - Jim Killock
FFII - Alberto Barrionuevo
Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS).- Laura Ranca

For more information on the organisation, please visit the Blackout Europe website at http://www.blackouteurope.eu
or contact us at blackout.europe@gmail.com