Perform for a video camera today! Or alternatively, go buy a cheap webcam and surveil somebody who's already performing (oh, wait, that wasn't what they meant :-) The EFF announced the following: --------- Friday, September 7 - International Day of Action Against Video Surveillance Join privacy-minded citizens in raising awareness of public video surveillance Electronic Frontier Foundation ACTION ALERT (Issued: Friday, August 31, 2001 / Deadline: Friday, September 7, 2001) Introduction: On Friday, 7 September 2001, a variety of groups from around the world will be collaborating on an international day of autonomous protests against the constant, indiscriminate and technologically sophisticated video surveillance of public places by both businesses and law enforcement agencies, and in favor of the right to privacy, which is a fundamental human right. The protests will take the form of short skits and plays, the majority of which will take place in front of "webcams," so that people all over the world can watch them via the Internet. What YOU Can Do: * If you are concerned about surveillance cameras in your area, and would like to get involved in the protests, then see New York's Surveillance Camera Players' (SCP) "How to Stage Your Own 'Surveillance Camera Theater' in 10 Easy-to-Follow Steps!" at: http://www.notbored.org/scp-how-to.html * To add your group to the confirmed list of activists, email SCP at: notbored@panix.com * Contact your legislators about online privacy issues. For information on how to contact your legislators and other government officials, see EFF's "Contacting Congress and Other Policymakers" guide at: http://www.eff.org/congress.html * Join EFF! For membership information see: http://www.eff.org/support/ Privacy Campaign: This drive to contact the Judiciary bureaucracy about their invasive policies is part of a larger campaign to highlight how extensively companies and governmental agencies subject us to surveillance and share and use personal information online, and what you can do about it. Check the EFF Privacy Now! Campaign website regularly for additional alerts and news: http://www.eff.org/privnow/ Background: The proposal reads as follows: We propose -- 1. that an international day of action against video surveillance -- specifically: the constant, indiscriminate and technologically sophisticated video surveillance of public places by both businesses and and law enforcement agencies -- take place on Friday, 7 September 2001; 2. that people who wish to intensify the struggle to protect and strengthen the right to privacy (a fundamental human right) should undertake autonomous actions at the local level and in a completely de-centralized fashion; 3. that, if and when possible, at least some of these actions should be undertaken in front of webcams that have already been installed in public places by private companies that are insensitive or even hostile to privacy concerns (in addition to disrupting "business as usual" for these companies, the use of webcams will allow the entire world to see 7s01 anti-videosurveillance actions as they take place); 4. that all individuals and groups participating in the 7s01 day of action keep in touch with at least one of the groups listed below and/or each other; 5. that at least one Web site links to or actually displays images from these actions as they take place; 6. that this proposal should be posted on-line and sent to as many people as possible and as soon as possible; and 7. that this proposal be translated into as many foreign languages as possible, but especially French, German, and Italian, for it is in France, Belgium, Germany and Italy that the anti-videosurveillance struggle is the most visible at the moment. List of participating groups: http://www.notbored.org/7s01.html EFF's action alert: http://www.eff.org/alerts/20010831_surveil_cam_alert.html Contacts: Bill Brown, Surveillance Camera Players notbored@panix.com +1 212-561-0106 http://www.surveillancecameraplayers.org/ Will Doherty, EFF Online Activist / Media Relations wild@eff.org +1 415 436 9333 x111 - end -