WIKIORG policy update/2018-w24
This is ORG's Policy Update for the week beginning 11/06/2018.
If you are reading this online, you can also subscribe to the email version.
ORG’s work
Planned local groups events:
Parliament
Other National developments
Online Voting
UK group Open Rights Group (ORG) and others such as Liberty and Privacy International joined the complainants, who want to end the practice of non-explicit and indiscriminate retention of communications data. Rights groups have filed complaints with the European Commission that member states have ignored EU Court of Justice (CJEU) rulings on mass surveillance. Freedom of speech groups are arguing that data on who we interact with is still highly sensitive; 17 member states still allow non-targeted bulk data retention, despite the court’s rulings. The CJEU in 2016, ruled in its decision that “national legislation such as that at issue in the main proceedings therefore exceeds the limits of what is strictly necessary and cannot be considered to be justified, within a democratic society.” ORG executive director, Jim Killock, argued that the EU court was completely clear about blanket data collection.“Governments do not get to pick and choose what courts tell them. When they do, they undermine the rule of law itself,” he added.
ORG and other freedom of speech campaigners criticise the “Drill Music Ban"
Freedom of Speech campaigners have criticised the landmark ruling which banned five drill musicians from encouraging violence and gangs in their music videos. Members of the group 1011 received CBOs (criminal behaviour orders) this week which will allow the police to be notified before the record songs and make music videos for the next three years. Scotland Yard blamed the “drill music” ( a sub-genre of rap music) which typically shows masked groups talking about their relationships with guns, drugs and stabbings. They believe that this genre of music has lead to increased stabbings in the capital. There have been incidents of stabbings being told in music; including the murder of 15-year-old Jermaine Goupall in South London last-year August. Many drill music fans criticise Scotland Yards decision as they were simply expressing the realities of their lives. In addition to this, Myles Jackman, a legal director at Open Rights Group, described the decision as "extraordinarily concerning"."There has been restrictions put in place on language on the basis that it may incite further criminality - we are getting into the territory of thought crime," he added. Other campaigners described the decision as “counter-productive”. Human rights group Liberty, Index on Censorship and the Open Rights Group expressed concerns about the CBO, calling it “censorship” and raised fears that the precedent-setting case may lead to police “overstepping the mark”.
Media coverage
See ORG Press Coverage for full details.
2018-06-18-MotherBoard.Vice-Europe's New Link Tax Will Enshrine Big Tech's Stranglehold Over the Internet
Author: Cory Doctorwow
Summary: Article 11 is not a good copyright reform proposal that will fundamentally change how the internet works. Topics: Data protection Article11