After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!

We've never seen anything like it

Speak out now against Internet Censorship at https://OpenMedia.org/censorship

What an incredible response! It's been just a few days since we launched our 'No to Internet Censorship' letter calling on world leaders not to sign away our fundamental digital rights in secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks at the upcoming APEC summit in Indonesia.

When we launched this letter and encouraged the Internet to sign on all of us here at OpenMedia were amazed by how fast it took off. Within just the first hour, thousands had added their voice. In just the first few days, over 93,000 of you spoke out to send a powerful message to TPP leaders - and that number just keeps on climbing, with more signing up every single hour. And momentum continues to grow as hundreds share on social media - this campaign is really going viral. We even hit the front of Reddit, which nearly crashed our server. At OpenMedia, we've never seen anything quite like it.

This massive response points to a rapidly growing groundswell of concern about the TPP - a highly secretive and extreme international agreement that's been cooked up behind closed doors by unelected industry lobbyists and government bureaucrats. Citizens, public interest groups, and even elected representatives have been completely shut out from the TPP process.

Why all the secrecy? Well, when you see what’s contained in leaked drafts of the TPP, you can see why TPP lobbyists are so desperate to keep their plan under wraps. We know from these leaked drafts that the TPP contains dangerous and extreme new internet censorship rules - rules that could criminalize your online activity, cost you money, and even see whole families kicked off the Internet for alleged copyright infringement.

In short, the TPP amounts to an Internet censorship plan that will make the Internet more expensive, censored, and policed. That’s why so many people are speaking up right now to tell leaders of TPP nations to listen to their citizens, not just to old industry lobbyists desperately trying to protect their failing, outdated business models.

Now we've got to keep up the pressure - especially as leaders are planning to wrap up their TPP talks during this week's APEC summit.

We need all hands on deck - and here’s how you can help:

  1. Send the letter - if you haven't yet added your voice, what are you waiting for? TPP leaders need to know the strength of feeling out there. Send them a powerful messageright now and help us hit 100,000.
  2. Click here to ask your Facebook friends to join our growing campaign - don't let them miss this chance to be part of something huge.
  3. Click here to spread the word on Twitter - we've already pre-populated a tweet, so it couldn't be easier to spread the word.
  4. Click here to share the campaign on Google Plus

Our small, dedicated team here at OpenMedia really appreciate your support - the more people who join our campaign, the greater the pressure we can bring to bear. We win by growing our numbers!;

Join in this powerful call for an open, censorship-free Internet and a connected future!

More in News and Politcs

Millions speak up against slow internet lane

On May 15, millions spoke out online while hundreds gathered outside the FCC in Washington DC to say no to the Internet slow lane.

Canada's spy watchdogs should not be acting as lobbyists

Many are expressing outrage now that the public has become aware that Chuck Strahl is acting as a lobbyist for Enbridge, the company hoping to build a controversial oil pipeline...

See what Industry Minister Moore has to say about your sky-high cell phone bills

See what Industry Minister Moore has to say about your sky-high cell phone bills
Speak up about this article on Facebook or Twitter. Do this by liking Vancouver Observer on Facebook or following us @Vanobserver on Twitter. We'd love to hear from you.