Just the messenger here. I've been doing some ad-hoc volunteering with Barrett Brown's Pursuance Project and their Kickstarter is 75% funded with three days to go. They can make this happen, but they need help. Press release below, blog post here: https://pursuanceproject.wordpress.com/2018/07/12/life-death-and-encryption-... and Kickstarter here: https://kickstarter.com/projects/85883596/barrett-browns-pursuance-project Is your life or liberty at risk, merely because you report the truth? Because you are in contact with those who seek to change the world, whose lives are also at risk? According to Human Rights Watch, the answer is yes, and sadly, the risk is not limited to distant dictatorships, but exists even in so-called “bastions of freedom” like Canada and the US. Earlier this week an American congressman introduced the “Unmasking ANTIFA Act” which would criminalize protests and speech against the government. That is why National Magazine Award-winning journalist and digital rights activist Barrett Brown has created The Pursuance Project, an ambitious suite of interconnected tools for creating, assigning, tracking, and (optionally) publicizing team efforts, all protected by military-grade end-to-end zero-knowledge encryption. Simply put, it offers virtual conference rooms, calls, video, text, project management, all in as safe a digital environment as humans can create. Pursuance staffers cannot see what goes on in your Pursuance unless you make them team members. Neither can any government, nor anyone you do not invite. Think of the protection SecureDrop offers journalists and sources, but with that kind of security extended to your team communications, emails, texts, and more. And it’s free. In order to cover the development costs, Pursuance has a Kickstarter, currently 75% funded and nearing completion this Sunday, July 15. With the last ten thousand in sight, and the limited-edition rewards flying out, we’re thrilled to announce that Pursuance founder Barrett Brown will be a speaker at the HOPE (Hackers On Planet Earth)conference in New York July 20-22nd, and was a guest on this Wednesday’s OTH (Off The Hook) radio broadcast on WBAI-FM and podcast, both presented by the hacker “Emmanuel Goldstein” aka Eric Corley, known for founding 2600, The Hacker Quarterly back in 1984, and for his role in the film Hackers. “We’re not asking for money so we can solve a specific problem. We’re asking for money so we can enable people to solve all of them.” Barrett Brown Barrett is an infinitely-quotable raconteur who was once accused of being a “fameball” by Gawker. Pursuance technical lead Steve Phillips is also a good interview, and can take these complex concepts and translate them into simple and compelling English. “No activist should have to entrust their life to Facebook. No one should have to choose between security and the ability to organize large numbers of people. No one should have to use platforms designed to waste your time in the course of trying to make their lives count. When Pursuance launches, things will be different.” Barrett Brown The stakes are high. This is our world now: a world where your own DMs, PMs, texts, and even your face, can be the biggest threat to your freedom. Help us change that. Help us spread the word about Pursuance. Help us create a better future for activism, for action, for journalism, for privacy, and for basic human rights. Pursuance Project Contacts: Contact: team@pursuanceproject.org / +47 407 67 074 For interviews with Barrett or his core team please contact Pursuance at onray@pursuanceproject.org / Raymond Johansen +47 407 67 074 The Pursuance Board of Directors includes luminaries from the worlds of whistleblowing, digital privacy, documentary filmmaking, human rights activism, and more: Thomas Drake, Birgitta Jonsdottir, Mano Singham, Alex Winter, John Kiriakou, Robert Tynes, Jay Leiderman, Barry Eisler, Russ Baker, and Raymond Johansen. Lorraine Murphy