Mephisto13
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Localisation: Gatineau, Quebec
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« Répondre #18 le: 25 ao�t 2010, 01:22:07 » |
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The focus of this discussion has been mostly on patents and copyright reform.
While I know that this is a big part of what we stand for, the media have almost exclusively bashed on pirates for stealing music, movies, software, etc which has generated instant negative emotions attached to that word : pirates (which is why I love that T-shirt idea with only our acronym on the front with what we stand for on the backs, get people asking what's the T-shirt stands for, get them to talk). And no matter how much we can try, it is difficult to show the general non-tech savvy population the truth, to open their minds, to show them that we are being taken for a ride, that people who are working on these reforms are sponsored by corporations that don't want to adapt to this new information age but would rather like to tenuously hang on to their dying cash cow. So why not start by promoting something that affects the general population directly. When you are or can be directly affected, you tend to tune in and absorb information, gain as much information in order to protect yourself.
What about Privacy.
Everyone hears about Facebook and their privacy settings and how hard it is to opt out, or in. It's a difficult process and it confuses people. Then you hear about a comprehensive list that a company compiled of all sorts of free private information found in Facebook. I also heard about this poor little 11 yr-old girl that the internet just virtually "beat up", posting personal information, cell phone number, home number, address, etc. Scary stuff!! But it just goes to show people how easy it is to lose your private information. And once it's out there...you can't get it back!
Add to that the constant fear that your credit card information will be stolen, or the discovery that someone took out a loan in your name, etc. This fear permeates within our society. And by no means do I want to prey on these fears, but if we stood as champions of privacy, people might start to notice. If they notice, they start to hear. And if you hear, you start to listen and when you're at that stage, people generally have an open mind (or want an intelligent debate on the subject...well, usually anyway).
Privacy is extremely important, especially in this day and age. I find people are giving away private information way too freely, without fear or regard of the consequences. I don't want to star promoting paranoia where everyone keeps everything close to their vests, but if people are informed about the importance of protecting one's privacy, then they can make proper decisions with their own personal info.
In turn, we could educate about open government (speak about the Access to Information Act, maybe even get it reformed! it hasn't really been reformed since it's integration in 1983 - again, how can one vote without being informed about what's happening within our government?), net neutrality, copyright and patent reform.
All these things are intertwined with each other, even more so with ever evolving technology. Technology has advanced so quickly and with giant leaps that I think people have a hard time keeping up. For instance, our parents played Pac Man. Pac Man at an arcade!! Pac Man was the king of the crop of video games barely 30 years ago! Now you can play Pac Man on your iPod.
Most of the population use these devices without knowing the dangers that come with it. Not because they don't know any better, I tend to think that it's because no one has taken the time to explain to people how you can protect your privacy. The media would rather play on your fears than educate you. It sells papers.
So why don't we educate?
I don't have any ideas yet, I simply wanted to change the sole focus from copyright and patents to other important things that we are also in favour of.
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