Revolutionær Informerende blog

International Action Day «Freedom not fear – Stop the surveillance
mania!» on 11 October 2008

A broad movement of campaigners and organizations is calling on
everybody to join action against excessive surveillance by governments
and businesses. On 11 October 2008, concerned people in many countries
will take to the streets, the motto being «Freedom not fear 2008#187;.
Peaceful and creative action, from protest marches to parties, will take
place in many capital cities.

Surveillance mania is spreading. Governments and businesses register,
monitor and control our behaviour ever more thoroughly. No matter what
we do, who we phone and talk to, where we go, whom we are friends with,
what our interests are, which groups we participate in – «big brother»
government and «little brothers» in business know it more and more
thoroughly.

The resulting lack of privacy and confidentiality is putting at risk the
freedom of confession, the freedom of speech as well as the work of
doctors, helplines, lawyers and journalists.

The manifold agenda of security sector reform encompasses the
convergence of police, intelligence agencies and the military,
threatening to melt down the division and balance of powers.

Using methods of mass surveillance, the borderless cooperation of the
military, intelligence services and police authorities is leading
towards new borders and walls, thus building true «Fortresses» in Europe
and on other continents, directed against refugees and different-looking
people but also affecting, for example, political activists, the poor
and under-priviledged, and sports fans.

People who constantly feel watched and under surveillance cannot freely
and courageously stand up for their rights and for a just society. Mass
surveillance is thereby threatening the fabric of a democratic and open
society.

Mass surveillance is also endangering the work and commitment of civil
society organizations.

Surveillance, distrust and fear are gradually transforming our society
into one of uncritical consumers who have «nothing to hide» and – in a
vain attempt to achieve total security – are prepared to give up their
freedoms. We do not want to live in such a society!

We believe the respect for our privacy to be an important part of our
human dignity. A free and open society cannot exist without
unconditionally private spaces and communications.

The increasing electronic registration and surveillance of the entire
population does not make us any safer from crime, costs millions of
Euros and puts the privacy of innocent citizens at risk. Under the reign
of fear and blind actionism, targeted and sustained security measures
fall by the wayside, as well as tackling peoples’ actual daily problems
such as unemployment and poverty.

In order to protest against security mania and excessive surveillance we
will take to the streets in capital cities all in many countries on 11
October 2008. We call on everybody to join our peaceful protest.
Politicians are to see that we are willing to take to the streets for
the protection of our liberties.

You can find the latest information on the protest marches and the list
of participating cities at our website:
http://wiki.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/Freedom_Not_Fear_2008.

Our demands

1. Cutback on surveillance

- abolish the blanket logging of our communications and locations (data
retention)
- abolish the blanket collection of our biometric data as well as RFID
passports
- abolish the blanket collection of genetic data
- abolish permanent CCTV camera surveillance and automatic detection
techniques
- scrap funding for the development of new surveillance techniques
- no blanket registration of all air travellers (PNR data)
- no information exchange with the US and other states lacking effective
data protection
- no secret searches of private computer systems, neither online nor offline
- no blanket surveillance and filtering of internet communications (EU
Telecoms-Package)

2. Evaluation of existing surveillance powers

We call for an independent review of all existing surveillance powers as
to their effectiveness and harmful side-effects.

3. Moratorium for new surveillance powers

After the homeland armament of the past few years we demand an immediate
hold to new homeland security laws that further restrict civil liberties.

4. Guaranteeing freedom of expression, dialogue and information on the
Internet

- Ban the installation of filtering infrastructure on ISP networks.
- Only independent and impartial judges may request the removal of
Internet content.
- Create a full right to quote multimedia, today indispensable to public
debate in democracies.
- Protect common internet places of expression (participatory sites,
forums, comments on blogs) today threatened by inadequate laws
encouraging self-censorship (chilling effect)

More informations

http://www.freedom-not-fear.eu

http://www.humanrights21.org/?p=26