Letter to Supporters: An irresponsible PR campaign that targets you

Posted by OpenMedia.ca on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - 12:22

We're planning to build an online tool that empowers Canadians to communicate with the press.

At this absolutely crucial moment, when online surveillance is still set to become a reality, this immediate direct action could make all the difference.

Despite the fact that 8 in 10 Canadians are against warrantless and costly online spying, the government remains stubbornly set on cementing the scheme into law. They’ve now unleashed a reckless and irresponsible PR campaign that suggests warrantless collection of our private data is “on par with the phone book.” We can’t let them trick Canadians.

The government has millions in its PR budget, but you and I know from experience that innovative online tactics are more effective in spreading the word. We need your support to bring these tactics to Canadians now.

Please donate now to help us respond to the government’s PR campaign with our new online outreach tools...while there’s still time.

Here’s our plan:

Build a first-of-its-kind online tool that will make it easy for Canadians to sound the alarm in newspapers across the country.
Launch a custom-built mobile version of our successful Stop Spying petition.

Nobody thought we could convince the government to delay its online spying legislation, but with your 75,000 voices, that’s exactly what we did. We’re not done yet—the invasive spying plan is still set to become a reality.

Don’t let the government undo the progress we’ve made.
Donate now, before it’s too late.

Canadians across the country have spoken out against invasive and costly online spying legislation, but winning the debate in the media is crucial. OpenMedia.ca is known for its online outreach tools—we know they work, but we can’t develop the next batch without your help.

Now—at the heart of decision-making time—a stunning campaign, targeted at the press, could change everything. Just a small donation today will make a difference. Please chip in now to make it happen.

For the Internet,

Lindsey, Shea, Reilly, and Steve—The OpenMedia.ca Team

P.S. These new laws threaten our privacy, free expression, the security of our personal information, and our budgets, at a time when the economy is already unstable. If we don’t show a wave of opposition to them, they will definitely be passed. Let’s get Canadian voices in the press now.

Support OpenMedia.ca

OpenMedia.ca is a non-profit organization that relies on donations from people like you to operate. Our small but dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way to ensure your voice is heard. Please donate at http://openmedia.ca/donate

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COMMENTS

Ifligus on Wed, 10/12/2011 - 18:21.

Build a first-of-its-kind online tool that will make it easy for Canadians to sound the alarm in newspapers across the country

What does this entail? Could you give us more details?

Steve Anderson on Wed, 10/19/2011 - 08:47.

Sure, it will be a tool that lets users select from a list of papers in their local community by entering a postal code. Then we'll let users send a letter to the editor with one click of a button. We'll also help with content. The idea is that we'll be able to spread the word more easily in papers across the country.

hemzer on Wed, 10/12/2011 - 14:26.

People OM has clearly stated what they intend to do with the donations. ie: Here’s our plan: Build a first-of-its-kind online tool that will make it easy for Canadians to sound the alarm in newspapers across the country. Launch a custom-built mobile version of our successful Stop Spying petition. I do not understand the accusations. Even if Vic only made those statements, the media can spin it in many ways to convince people. We see that time and again. People being fooled. I like the idea that OM is trying to stay a step ahead of the current government. These people are low and mean spirited when it comes to Canadian's rights and freedoms. You have my donation & vote OM, anyday

Steve Anderson on Wed, 10/19/2011 - 08:48.

Thanks Hemzer!

joeythesaint on Wed, 10/12/2011 - 12:39.

I think this is the first time I've seen a story from OpenMedia that made me call shenanigans. Not that I don't believe it, but this one is decidedly one-sided, not even giving me enough information to make my own decisions. Can someone post some links to this "[...]reckless and irresponsible PR campaign"? I can't find anything in my quick googling around.

Steve Anderson on Wed, 10/19/2011 - 08:50.

Fair point Joey. We did a blog post for you and others who have been asking about the PR plan: http://openmedia.ca/blog/combating-governments-online-spying-pr

If you're considering donating you can do so here: http://openmedia.ca/donate

Annastacia on Wed, 10/12/2011 - 14:52.

You may want to rework the wording a bit: The Canadian Government is preparing to release a new PR campaign that suggests warrantless collection of our private data is “on par with the phone book”. The key differences being: while a phone book stops at listing a person's name, address and phone number, online spying would forge ahead in collecting and storing an individual's anonymous user names, online browsing history and commentary, social network activity, global positioning, etc... An individual has a freedom to choose to 'unlist' their contact information in a phonebook. This is not the case with the proposed legislation.

lightrush on Wed, 10/12/2011 - 13:35.

My thoughts precisely. OpenMedia, I could be wrong but I think you are underestimating your supporters' intelligence by sending a letter without a single fact asking for donation. I've supported you multiple times but simply reading a provokative e-mail that has no facts in it or even explanation of facts without hard evidence does not let me believe. To the contrary, it sounds like a bland attempt at sensationalist scare in order to recieve support for something that may not exist. I can _guarantee_ you that at least me and my friends will not support you reading this email. Some of them might not even give you a second chance. I think you need to send a more informative letter to everybody with some more substance soon to reverse the shenanigans feeling of this one. If it truly is not shenanigans.

Steve Anderson on Wed, 10/19/2011 - 08:53.

I understand where you're coming from @lightrush. It's always a balance between providing information and not overwhelming people who have busy lives. You're not the only one who has raised this concern so we might not have struck the right balance here. This is something we'll strive to be better at in the future. We did a blog post for you and others who have been asking about the PR plan: http://openmedia.ca/blog/combating-governments-online-spying-pr

uymai on Wed, 10/12/2011 - 13:05.

shenanigans is seconded.

Steve Anderson on Wed, 10/19/2011 - 08:53.

We did a blog post for you and others who have been asking about the PR plan: http://openmedia.ca/blog/combating-governments-online-spying-pr

ipv6_twit on Wed, 10/12/2011 - 13:43.

Looks like Vic Toews is the one spaming this about: http://www.mysteinbach.ca/blogs/2528.html http://openparliament.ca/hansards/2385/71/only/ http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/1443864 (Vic is incorrectly identified as a member of the green party of NB in this one) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/10/04/f-lawful-access.html And that's all I could find. This is hardly a PR drive at this time. One article and one letter to the editor penned by Toews, Plus a couple of quotes from a comment of his in question period does not a PR campaign make. That being said, Vic Toews is seriously underplaying the import of the information gathered. as quoted by Michael Geist: "The new system would require the disclosure of customer name, address, phone number, email address, Internet protocol address, and a series of device identification numbers. While some of that information may seem relatively harmless, the ability to link it with other data will often open the door to a detailed profile about an identifiable person. Given its potential sensitivity, the decision to require disclosure without any oversight should raise concerns within the Canadian privacy community. It should be noted that this issue - mandated access to customer personal information without a warrant - was what Stockwell Day pledged not to do. Day took an important stand on the issue and it is crucial to call the government on it." http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/6020/125/

joeythesaint on Thu, 10/13/2011 - 14:06.

Yeah, that's all I was able to find too when I looked around. Thing is, I don't want to make a big deal out of it, Mr. Toews is absolutely under-playing the power and scope of the legislation (maybe because he doesn't understand the real impacts, maybe because it's an uncomfortable topic and he'd rather not address it) and it needs to be revised before it can really be called balanced in my opinion, but as a call to action, the way this story was presented, it's a little too scare-tacticy for me. Just saying that the way to come out ahead on this stuff is to hold ourselves to a higher standard than they have for themselves (if it has to resort to us-and-them with the government). Anyway, I'll be keeping an eye out and making sure everyone I talk to understands what's really at stake.

Letter to Supporters: An irresponsible PR campaign that targets you

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