(I received this political spam today. It is referring to the Internet Governance Forum that is being held in Athens which is a continuation of the World Summit of the Information Society)
Dear Blogger
Next week the Internet Governance Forum meets in Athens to discuss the future of the Internet. There is a real danger that human rights will be sidelined and that discussion will focus on security. A delegation from Amnesty International will be there to ensure that human rights stay at the top of the agenda.
Around the world, Internet cafés are shut down, computers seized, chat rooms monitored, and blogs deleted. Websites are blocked or heavily censored, search engines are restricted and foreign news prohibited.
A new Amnesty report on Vietnam this week revealed that web users are afraid to post information online and Internet café owners are forced to inform on their customers. People are harassed, detained and imprisoned for expressing their political views online. But the report also showed a growing network of activists and campaigners defying government controls and using the Internet to discuss human rights.
Our http://irrepressible.info campaign is all about the rise of Internet censorship and people who have been imprisoned just for what they say in blogs or on websites. It also targets multinational companies who collude with governments in restricting people’s right to freedom of expression and information on the net.
Thousands of bloggers have already supported the campaign, by putting a badge made of censored web content on their own site or email signature – effectively turning censorship on itself.
We’re asking the online community to show their solidarity with web users in countries where they can face jail for criticizing the government.
The Internet Governance Forum needs to know that the online community is bothered about free expression online and willing to stand up for it. If you and fellow bloggers are willing to post an entry about it and spread the word, they will have to listen.
Thank you
Amnesty International UK
http://amnesty.org.uk
