Support privacy-respecting network services! Donate to Riseup.net!
There's a lot of news recently about some downright orwellian surveillance executed across the globe by my own government with the assistance of major American corporations. The scope is huge, and the implications are depressing. It's scary and frustrating for anyone who cares about civil society, freedom of speech, cultural autonomy, or data sovereignty.
As bad as the situation is, though, there are groups like Riseup and May First/People Link who actively resist the data dragnet.
The good birds at Riseup have been tireless advocates for information autonomy for people and groups working for liberatory social change for years. They have provided (and continue to provide) impressive, well-administered infrastructure using free software to help further these goals, and they have a strong political committment to making a better world for all of us and to resisting strongarm attempts to turn over sensitive data. And they provide all this expertise and infrastructure and support on a crazy shoestring of a budget.
So if the news has got you down, or frustrated, or upset, and you want to do something to help improve the situation, you could do a lot worse than sending some much-needed funds to help Riseup maintain an expanding infrastructure. This fundraising campaign will only last a few more days, so give now if you can!
(note: i have worked with some of the riseup birds in the past, and hope to continue to do so in the future. I consider it critically important to have them as active allies in our collective work toward a better world, which is why i'm doing the unusual thing of asking for donations for them on my blog.)