Dec

2

A protocol for dialog with the authorities

Postat Yona - 15:06 | Kommentera
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Publicerar ett mail som kom till oss idag;

Hello,

With the recent raid on Förskningsavdelen in Malmö we have seen a concrete demonstration of how law enforcement behaves with regard to the property rights of a group to which we all belong: hackers.

This recent raid makes in incumbent upon us to enter into a dialog with the authorities and explain what it is we do and the positive effects we have on Swedish society. To do this, we need to approach both political and legal representatives at the local and national level. It is we who need to be proactive for two simple reasons;

– The authorities will not reach out to us
– We need to control our message and our image

To this end, I propose we assemble those who have a stake in this dialog to come together to formulate our message and then present it to the authorities.

The first step is for us to create a clear, unambiguous, direct message of what we do and who we are. Something along the lines of;

– We program computers and build out the internet
– We value highly our integrity and right to privacy
– We are a positive force for the development of Swedish society
– We will vigorously defend our rights in every forum presented to us

The second step is to invite the authorities to a public meeting to present our message in no uncertain terms so the authorities understand who we are and what we do. Hopefully the outcome will be;

– Contact points between our community and the authorities
– Greater understanding of both sides’ positions
– An opportunity to influence policy at a local level
– Organization between hackers and their representatives

To execute this two step process I need your help. In fact, this will fail without your direct action and participation. I am just another long haired perl hacker, the police will not listen to me with my thick American / Gothenburg accent. It needs to be an “us” with hard work done by those groups and teams that already exist, namely:

– FFKP (FÖRENINGEN FRI KULTUR OCH PROGRAMVARA)
– Piratepartiet Sweden
– Gnutiken EF
– Gothenburg Hacker Space
– You

If you’ve received this email I hope you see it as a ‘call to arms’. An opportunity to act and influence on the local level to protect our rights and freedoms that seem to be eroding in an age of ubiquitous government surveillance. Please act – answer this email and relate how you think we can move forward on the two points I have listed.

Regards,

Jeremiah C. Foster
Hacker

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