Digital Freedom Update

How community broadband can deliver faster, cheaper Internet for all Canadians

rabble staff — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:32:49 +0000

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Unreliable service. Slow speeds. Appalling customer mistreatment. And some of the highest prices in the industrialized world. It's no wonder Canadians are fed up with the stranglehold that a handful of giant conglomerates exert over our telecom market.

With so little competition, Big Telecom has long been able to keep prices high without fear of customers jumping ship to a more affordable alternative. But that could be about to change. A landmark ruling from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has thrown the door open for communities across Canada to take their digital future into their own hands.

A landmark ruling from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has thrown the door open for communities across Canada to take their digital future into their own hands.

Why 2017 will be a make-or-break year for Internet freedom

rabble staff — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 18:16:57 +0000

Monday, January 2, 2017

2017 is here, and it's clear it will be a make-or-break year for Internet freedom. Around the world, our digital rights are under threat as never before. Let's take a look at some of the big challenges ahead.

In Canada, the federal government will soon be publishing its response to the national security consultation that closed in December. It's abundantly clear that Canadians want the government to repeal Bill C-51 and deliver strong privacy rules to make us safe -- but will the government listen, especially against the backdrop of a full-on RCMP propaganda campaign calling for even more invasive spy powers?

2017 is here, and it's clear it will be a make-or-break year for Internet freedom. Let's take a look at some of the big challenges ahead.

Trump's election should prompt Canada to rethink its complicity with U.S. mass surveillance

rabble staff — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 14:12:06 +0000

Thursday, December 1, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump. It's still a phrase that takes some getting used to. Trump's pronouncements on issues of online privacy, surveillance and net neutrality -- among many other topics -- should send a shiver down the spine of anyone who cares about preserving basic democratic freedoms in a digital age.

For Canadians these concerns strike particularly close to home. Already, federal government ministers are grappling with the implications of the impending Trump presidency and, for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, these implications are especially profound.

With Donald Trump's ascension to power imminent, Canada cannot afford to continue allowing government agencies to routinely hand over our private information to the U.S. government.

Is the government about to make the Internet even more expensive for all Canadians?

rabble staff — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 12:40:00 +0000

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

At OpenMedia, we cover a wide range of digital rights issues, and so we've really seen the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly when it comes to policy proposals over the years. And this one's a doozy: Canadian Heritage Minister Melanie Joly is considering adding a new ISP tax to the monthly bills of Canada's Internet subscribers.

This new tax will make Internet access even more expensive, despite the fact that Canadians already pay among the highest prices in the industrialized world for this basic necessity. Indeed, fees are already so high that 44 per cent of low-income households do not have a home Internet connection, leaving vast numbers of Canadians excluded from our digital endowment.

Canadian Heritage Minister Melanie Joly is considering adding a new ISP tax to the monthly bills of Canada's Internet subscribers, which will make Internet access even more expensive.

Despite flaws, the government's consultation finally gives us a real chance to repeal Bill C-51

rabble staff — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 12:22:40 +0000

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

It's here. Almost a year into their mandate, the Liberal government has finally launched its long-awaited public consultation on Bill C-51, and a broad range of privacy and national security issues.

Speaking at the launch, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said they had already identified a limited number of areas of Bill C-51 they wanted changed, and that they wanted to get Canadians' views on how to deal with the rest of the unpopular legislation.

It's here. The Liberal government has finally launched its long-awaited public consultation on Bill C-51, and a broad range of privacy and national security issues.

Quebec's Bill 74 puts us all on a slippery slope toward Internet censorship

rabble staff — Thu, 01 Sep 2016 13:58:35 +0000

Thursday, September 1, 2016

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Internet censorship. Website block lists. Stiff financial penalties for Internet providers who allow their customers to view sites forbidden by the government. This may the stuff of day-to-day life in authoritarian regimes, but it's certainly not the sort of thing you'd expect to see here in Canada.

Internet censorship. Website block lists. An extreme new law recently passed in Quebec means all of this could soon be the reality right here at home.

Our last, best chance to restore our rights and repeal Bill C-51

rabble staff — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 19:00:26 +0000

Monday, August 1, 2016

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This is it, folks. Eighteen months after it was first introduced, and over a year since it was forced through Parliament by the Harper government, Canadians will soon have a chance to finally overturn Bill C-51.

This is it, folks. Over a year since it was forced through Parliament by the Harper government, Canadians will soon have a chance to finally overturn Bill C-51.

We can finally put an end to data caps -- but will the CRTC listen?

rabble staff — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 21:55:35 +0000

Friday, July 1, 2016

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"You have used 100% of your monthly data allocation. Additional charges will apply" -- there's probably not an Internet user out there who hasn't grimaced upon receiving a message like this from their telecom provider. Sadly, mean-spirited data caps, accompanied by extortionate overage fees, have long been one of the most reviled features of our broken telecom market.

The CRTC recently announced a public consultation that represents the best chance in decades to finally give Canadians relief from oppressive data caps.

After big win over Bell, what's next for Canada's telecom market?

rabble staff — Wed, 25 May 2016 20:00:53 +0000

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

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As wins go, this one was a doozy.

Following months of debate, all eyes were on Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains as he weighed whether or not to give Bell, and a tiny handful of other telecom behemoths, an effective monopoly over fibre Internet services in Canada.

All eyes were on Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains as he weighed whether to give Bell an effective monopoly over fibre Internet services in Canada. It was a landmark decision with big implications.

All Canadians deserve affordable, high-speed Internet. Because it's 2016.

rabble staff — Sun, 01 May 2016 19:45:17 +0000

Monday, May 2, 2016

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"It's too expensive." "It's too slow." "I can't get a reliable connection." All common responses from Canadians when you ask what they think about their Internet service. At OpenMedia, not a day goes by without our getting emails, social media messages, and phone calls from Canadians unhappy with the state of their Internet.

We can either continue letting our market be regulated by high-cost telecom, or we can take action to ensure that all Canadians can participate in the social and economic benefits of the Internet.

The real poison pill in the TPP

rabble staff — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 18:04:56 +0000

Friday, April 1, 2016

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Canadians have many reasons to be concerned about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a massive international trade agreement that, if ratified, will result in restrictive new rules governing our daily lives, from how we use the Internet, to how much we pay for medicine.

Canadians have many reasons to be concerned about the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But the real poison pill in the TPP lies in its "investor-state dispute settlement" mechanism. Here's why.

What the heck is a Stingray? And what does it have to do with my privacy?

rabble staff — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 14:04:46 +0000

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

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You may not be aware that a device named after an unusual sea creature poses a serious threat to your cell phone -- but I assure you, it does. A growing concern in the privacy world, the surveillance device nicknamed a "Stingray" (technically known as an IMSI catcher) is an invasive technology that threatens to undermine the privacy of anyone with a cell phone.

A growing concern in the privacy world, the surveillance device nicknamed a "Stingray" is an invasive technology that threatens to undermine the privacy of anyone with a cell phone.

Why is Netflix cracking down on essential privacy tools?

rabble staff — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 19:27:45 +0000

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

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When David Fullagar, Netflix Vice President of Content Delivery Architecture, announced recently that the company would be cracking down on users who employ privacy tools while watching Netflix, you could practically hear the groans reverberate across the globe.

When Netflix announced recently that the company would be cracking down on users who employ privacy tools while using the service, you could practically hear the groans reverberate across the globe.

Five big challenges for our digital rights in 2016

rabble staff — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 21:23:30 +0000

Monday, January 4, 2016

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What a year 2015 has been! In the space of just 12 months, with the support of our amazing community and partners around the globe, OpenMedia fought hard to ensure people everywhere have affordable access to an Internet that is surveillance- and censorship-free.

Looking ahead to 2016, one thing is clear: challenges to our digital rights are set to intensify. Here are the five big ones that we will face this year.

Canadians to Trudeau: Let's talk C-51!

rabble staff — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 12:20:54 +0000

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

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As the dust settles on the recent federal election, the priorities of Canada's new Liberal majority government are becoming clear. Early signs are that the government intends to pursue an ambitious agenda -- there are nearly 300 items on the to-do lists Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has assigned to members of his cabinet.

Given the complexity of Bill C-51 and the multitude of security and privacy issues it raises, it's clear that Canadians should be consulted before any reform package is introduced.