Mission and Purpose
"To keep the Internet open, affordable, and surveillance-free. We create community-driven campaigns to engage, educate, and empower people to safeguard the Internet."
Origins and Development
Founded in 2008 by Steve Anderson (Executive Director); headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
Organizational Structure, Membership, and Funding
In 2014, 70% of their budget was used for campaigns; 20% to operation and administrative costs (rent, legal advice, etc.), and 10% to fundraising costs.
Nonprofit organization headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, based on contributions, which in 2014 came from:
Individual grassroots donors (58%)
Monthly donors gave an average of $10 a month
Businesses (29%)
Philanthropic contributions and grants (13%)
Specializations, Methods and Tools
Diffusion of technology policies' impact on users through education and community engagement; advocacy as well as lobbying of Canadian government for open internet and privacy-- against government surveillance and corporate manipulation of content viewing habits.
Free Expression (against censorship, interference through governmental "takedowns" or content blocking")
Access (universally fast, open, affordable networks)
Privacy (open internet meaning free from government surveillance
"Big Telecom" manipulation of the internetOperating Principles:
1 Community collaboration: with network of organizations and people
2 Transparency as a means to creating a more collaborative and democratic world
3 Be nimble: crowdsource ideas to react at internet-speeds
4 Be human: instead of an institution, "to remind people of the power they have when they collaborate based on shared purpose"
5 Post-partisanship: actively work to put citizens at the center of government decision-making. No political party or orientation owns the Internet—the Internet is a fair, neutral space for dialogue, sharing, and commerce.
Major Projects and Events
Past campaigns:
Save the Net: protecting openness, choice, and access for Canada's Internet.
Stop The Meter: against usage-based billing in Canada included an online petition. The petition reached over 500,000 signatures and caused the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to reexamine its decision on the way Canadians are billed for their Internet access. The petition was supported by Canadian Internet service providers affected by the ruling (such as TekSavvy, which sent out invitations to sign to all of their customers), the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party and Stephen Harper, who voiced his concerns over Twitter.
Fresh Media: a campaign to celebrate innovative and independent media.
Vote the Internet: launched as a campaign to ensure that Internet access issues would become a focus for the 2011 Canadian federal election. Citizens were provided with a letter that they could modify and email to candidates in their riding asking them to become "pro-Internet". Politicians were then also able to register as pro-Internet candidates through the website.
Kill C51
Tell Prime Minister Trudeau to consult with Canadians now, while there's still time to undo C-51
Stop the Shakedown
Giant American media conglomerates are using a new loophole in copyright law to send intimidating letters to Canadian Internet users.
Our Privacy Coalition
More than ever, Canadians need strong, genuinely transparent, and properly enforced safeguards to secure privacy rights. We call on Government to put in place effective legal measures to protect the privacy of every resident of Canada against intrusion by government entities.
Canada's Digital Future
You helped us crowdsource what Canada's digital future should look like. Report card: https://ourdigitalfuture.ca/report
The Internet Emergency
Bell has a plan to kill Canada's smaller, more affordable Internet providers so they can price-gouge you at will.1 If they succeed, Canadians will be forced to pay more money for less Internet.
Unblock Canada
Big Telecom giants plan to keep you locked into some of the slowest and most expensive Internet in the industrialized world.Current international campaigns
No Fake Internet
Mark Zuckerberg's Internet.org will control what billions do online.
Save The Link
Censoring links breaks the Internet.
Crowdsourced Agenda for Free Expression
Internet users from across the globe have come together to create a crowdsourced vision for free expression online. Over 300,000 people from 155 countries worldwide helped shape our roadmap for a Digital Future that includes us all.
Stop the Secrecy, Stop the TPP
After five years of secrecy, TPP bureaucrats finally released this extreme global agreement. If implemented, the TPP will censor the Web, criminalize our online activities, and cost Internet users money
Stop the Slowdown
Big Telecom’s lobbyists tried to destroy the open web by sneaking new slow lane powers into a bill that has nothing to do with the Internet – and they could try it again soon.
Publications
Press releases and information on current state-of-communications of Canada and relevant international players is frequently published in their Press Release section. A sample of their most recent material include:
Federal Privacy Commissioner investigating potential RCMP use of Stingray surveillance devices April 13, 2016
New survey reveals that only one in three Canadians are happy with cost of home Internet service March 30, 2016
Let’s talk TPP! Diverse range of groups empower Canadians to voice concerns about Trans-Pacific Partnership March 24, 2016
Parties Argue for Disclosure of Documents About “Stringray” Surveillance Devices March 24, 2016
See Also
References
https://nom.openmedia.org/en/faq
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenMedia.ca
https://nom.openmedia.org/en/int/campaigns
Notes
From the Talk section, the organization's Wikipedia page seems heavily redacted by the organization's own members, so it should be considered an extension of their website.
Lead image: OpenMedia/Facebook https://goo.gl/aQGf25