Europeans Have 'till Monday to Save Their Online Rights

Headline over at boing boing:

EUROPEANS! You have until MONDAY to contact your MEP and save the EU from a three-strikes copyright rule!

They aren't wrong.

Back-room dealings in the European Parliament have resulted in a "three strikes" rule being included in a new telecoms bill -- the rule would force ISPs to kick people who've been thrice accused of copyright infringement off the Internet.

If this bill passes, then Europeans' access to the network that delivers freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, access to medicine, family, civic engagement, banking, government services, and the whole sweep of human online endeavor would last only so long as they avoided three unsubstantiated accusations of downloading music or video or software without permission.

Worse still, the bill is set to be voted upon on July 7 -- that's this Monday.

The Open Rights Group has instructions for contacting your MEP. If you live in the EU and you care about your future as a citizen of the information society, call right away and make sure your MEP knows that this matters to you.

Here's the Open Rights Group link Cory posted. I know most of my own readers are North American, but if you're European, follow that link. Now.