The UK Open Rights Group has now been around for 3 years, and they have released their 2008 Review of Activities. It shows how busy the group has been, and also how much more they are needed.
It seems that a week doesn’t go by when a CD isn’t lost or a laptop isn’t stolen containing personal data. Surveillance, ID cards, RFID passports, all are being touted as necessary to keep us secure. But when it’s so poorly implemented, it becomes a liability, and is it really necessary?
As more and more music is bought and distributed digitally, the ORG has a part to play in ensuring that you own the music you bought, rather than just owning a license to play a file which can be revoked at will.
There are many more issues. The review describes the problems that face not just the ORG, but everyone living in the UK. Happily, the ORG is making great progress in advising, guiding, and where necessary, stopping the powers that be. The review is packed with info on work with the grassroots, the press and behind the scenes with policymakers, and it shows that ORG is now a respected digital rights advocate and also looks forward to expanding our operations in the coming years.
As one of the Founding 1000 members, I can show you these fantastic badges. I need to choose one to put in the sidebar, but in the meantime, here they all are. As you can see, I was member number 192!
Now that I live in the US, I’ve joined the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is the US equivalent of ORG. It’s been around longer, and has more permanent staff, and it’s had some very high profile cases, including suing President Bush, the various Attorney Generals, and the NSA. I’m proud to support them both.
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