The last time I wrote about recent developments in the Irish internet scene, I asked what could be done. This comes in some way of an answer.
Today marks the start of a week of protest by Irish internet users following the announcements of an agreement between Eircom and IRMA to institute a “three-strikes” policy, IRMA’s intention to seek court orders against internet service providers blocking a list of sites that they supply, and Eircom’s spineless statement of compliance before the fact has even occured. We also learned yesterday during a Meteor launch event that they would also be implementing the “three strikes” policy (this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, Meteor are an Eircom subsidary).
Inspired by the recent activity against similar actions in New Zealand, and the level of local and international support that garnered, this action has been dubbed Blackout Ireland. This, in my mind, is a great idea because it works both as an act of protest and also as a way to raise awareness to something that a lot of people don’t know about or, worse, don’t care about. Its not going to win the battle outright, but its a good first step.
What can you do today and this week to show your disapproval of these events? There are a couple of ways that you are encouraged to show your support.
Change your online profiles to show your support for Blackout Ireland. Use the official avatar on your Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, instant messaging client and other sites that support them.
Join the Facebook group, and look out for other supporters on Twitter using the #blackoutirl tag.
You are also encouraged to contact your local TD, the Minister for Communications and your own ISP to voice your concerns.
Personally, I would also encourage people to consider donating to Digital Rights Ireland, a group set up to work to prevent this kind of activity being allowed.
No group should be allowed to dictate by law what can or cannot be seen by paying customers of another groups service, especially not where there is little burdon of proof or where the incentive is nothing more than greed. I can only hope that people will come to see that this is what is happening here.