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Open Rights Group

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Minxette (talk | contribs) at 18:24, 17 January 2006 (Added Board and Advisory Council members). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Open Rights Group (ORG) is a UK-based organisation that hopes to preserve digital rights and freedoms by serving as a hub for other cyber-rights groups campaigning on similar digital rights issues. Like the EFF, it will campaign against the entertainment industry's attempts to limit what people can do with digital media, as well as highlighting a variety of privacy related issues. It will also provide information to the media and co-ordinate grassroots campaigns.

History

The organisation was started by Danny O'Brien, Cory Doctorow, Ian Brown, Rufus Pollock, James Cronin, Stefan Magdalinski and Suw Charman after a panel discussion at UKUUG and the BBC's Open Tech 2005 [1] illustrated that there was both interest and support for a UK-based digital rights organisation.

O'Brien first publicised the organisation, and attempted to secure funding for it, with a pledge [2] on PledgeBank, placed on July 24, 2005, with a deadline of December 25, 2005: "I will create a standing order of 5 pounds per month to support an organisation that will campaign for digital rights in the UK but only if 1,000 other people will too." The pledge reached 1000 people on 29 November, 2005.

Just as the pledge reached maturity the organisation launched at a "sell-out"[3] meeting in London's district of Soho [4]. The same day controversial plans to surveil British road users as part of a new road taxation scheme were featured [5] on the front page of The Times.

The group is now planning submissions to the All Party Internet Group (APIG) inquiry[6] into Digital rights management and the Gowers Review[7] into intellectual property.

Goals

  • to raise awareness in the media of digital rights abuses
  • to provide a media clearinghouse, connecting journalists with experts and activists
  • to preserve and extend traditional civil liberties in the digital world
  • to collaborate with other digital rights and related organisations
  • to nurture a community of campaigning volunteers, from grassroots activists to technical and legal experts

Areas of Interest

The organisation, though focused on the impact of digital technology on the liberty of UK citizens, operates with an apparently wide range of interests within that category. Its interests include:

Board and Advisory Council

Digital Rights Landscape

For more information about ORG Board and Advisory Council: http://www.openrightsgroup.org/board-and-advisory-council/

Open Rights Group Board Members:

Open Rights Group Advisory Council (as off 17 Jan 06):

References

  • getting out more (Danny O'Brien blog post floating the idea and advertising the pledge)
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