Saturday 27 April 2013

Public opinion stops snoopers Charter

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Dear ,

Great news! We've stopped the government's plan to spy on everyone's internet use. Late yesterday Nick Clegg announced he will not allow the "snoopers’ charter" to go ahead. [1]

38 Degrees members moved quickly when we first heard of the plan to collect details of who we call, text, email and which websites we visit. We voted to work together to stop these intrusive and expensive plans.

Together, over the past 18 months:
  • nearly 200,000 of us signed the petition to stop government snooping [2]
  • tens of thousands of us emailed our MPs
  • from Dundee to Penzance, thousands of us met up locally to deliver our massive petition direct to MPs [3]
  • nearly 19,000 38 Degrees members raised their concerns directly to the parliamentary committee looking at the government’s plans [4]
  • and just last week thousands of us got back in touch with our MPs, calling on them to abandon the plans.
38 Degrees members were a key part of a team which also included great campaigning from Liberty, Privacy International and the Open Rights Group. [5] We also got support and advice from a number of supportive MPs - particularly Lib Dem Julian Huppert, and Conservative David Davis. David Davis MP even came into the 38 Degrees office to do a live web briefing with 38 Degrees members! [6]

When we started this campaign, we knew it would be hard. The government seemed determined - we’d need a big campaign to turn it around. So collectively we rolled our sleeves up and just kept going. Today we can celebrate a great win for people power!

Campaigns like this don’t cost the earth to run, but they aren’t free. 38 Degrees is 100% independent - so we’ll never take money from big business or government. Instead 38 Degrees relies entirely on donations from members like you, giving one-off donations or small regular sums of £2 or £3 per week.

With your help now, we can take things to a new level. Can you chip in £2 or £3 a week, to help us raise the vital resources needed to dramatically increase our impact over the year ahead (or whatever you can afford).

Click here to give a small amount to 38 Degrees each week via our secure website:

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Please do consider chipping in if you can - it really is the only way wins like this are possible. But first of all, please make sure you take a moment to celebrate what we can accomplish when we all act together.


Thanks so much for being part of days like these,

David, Becky, Belinda and the 38 Degrees team


PS: Was your MP one of the people who helped stop the snooping bill? Could you email your MP and say thank you? Our MPs are used to hearing from 38 Degrees members to raise concerns when things are going wrong. Today we have a chance to prove we notice when things are going right! Click here to say thanks: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/privacy-thank-your-MP


NOTES:
[1] The Telegraph: Nick Clegg blocks Tory plans for a 'snoopers' charter': http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/nick-clegg/10019365/Nick-Clegg-blocks-Tory-plans-for-a-snoopers-charter.html
[2] 38 Degrees: Stop government snooping: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/stop-government-snooping#petition
[3] 38 Degrees Blog: Snooping campaign petition hand-ins: http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2012/11/21/snooping-campaign-update/
[4] 38 Degrees Blog: Our voices were heard: http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2012/09/12/snooping-our-voices-have-been-heard/
[5] Liberty: No Snoopers Charter: http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/
Privacy International: https://www.privacyinternational.org/
Open Rights Group: Fatal Blow to the Snoopers Charter?: http://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/2013/fatal-blow-to-snoopers-charter
[6] 38 Degrees Blog: Government Snooping: Top Tips from David Davis http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2012/06/19/government-snooping-top-tips-from-david-davis-mp/
 

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