The Open Rights Group (ORG) is a UK-based organisation that works to preserve digital rights and freedoms by campaigning on digital rights issues and by fostering a community of grassroots activists. It campaigns on numerous issues including mass surveillance, internet filtering and censorship, and intellectual property rights.
History The organisation was started by Danny O'Brien, Cory Doctorow, , Rufus Pollock, James Cronin, Stefan Magdalinski, Louise Ferguson and Suw Charman after a panel discussion at Open Tech 2005.Open Tech 2005 schedule , 23 July 2005 O'Brien created a pledge on PledgeBank, placed on 23 July 2005, with a deadline of 25 December 2005: "I will create a standing order of 5 pounds per month to support an organisation that will campaign for digital rights in the UK but only if 1,000 other people will too." The pledge reached 1000 people on 29 November 2005.www.pledgebank.com/rights , 23 July 2005 – 25 December 2005Getting out more , Danny O'Brien's blog post floating the idea and advertising the pledge The Open Rights Group was launched at a "sell-out" meeting in Soho, London.ORG digital rights event update , Open Rights Group blog, 29 November 2005Invitation to attend ‘Digital Rights in the UK: Your Rights, Your Issues’ , Open Rights Group blog, 16 November 2005
Work The group has made submissions to the All Party Internet Group (APIG) inquiry into digital rights managementMPs in digital downloads warning, BBC News Online, 4 June 2006ORG submission to the APIG inquiry into DRM, Open Rights Group wiki, 3 January 2006 and the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property.Chancellor announces intellectual property review , HM Treasury press release, 2 December 2005ORG submission to the Gowers Review, Open Rights Group wiki, 30 May 2006
The group was honoured in the 2008 Privacy International Big Brother Awards alongside No2ID, Liberty, Genewatch UK and others, as a recognition of their efforts to keep state and corporate mass surveillance at bay.Big Brother Awards UK 2008, 12 December 2008
In 2010 the group worked with 38 Degrees to oppose the introduction of the Digital Economy Act, which was passed in April 2010.
The group opposes measures in the draft Online Safety Bill introduced in 2021, that it sees as infringing free speech rights and online anonymity.
The group campaigns against the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport's plan to switch to an opt-out model for cookies. The group spokesperson stated that "[t]he UK government propose to make online spying the default option" in response to the proposed switch.
Areas of interest
The organisation, though focused on the impact of digital technology on the liberty of UK citizens, operates with an apparently wide range of interests within that category. Its interests include:ORG issues and interests , Open Rights Group website, last visited 30 May 2008Digital rights issues , Open Rights Group website, last visited 30 May 2008
Access to knowledge Copyright Creative Commons Free and open source software The public domain Crown copyright Digital Restrictions Management Software patents
Free speech and censorship Internet filtering Right to parody s. 127 Communications Act 2003
Government and democracy Electronic voting Freedom of information legislation
Privacy, surveillance and censorship Automatic Vehicle Tracking Communications data retention Identity management Net Neutrality NHS patients' medical database Police DNA Records RFID
Structure ORG has a paid staff, whose members include: Jim Killock (executive director)
Former staff include Suw Charman-Anderson and Becky Hogge, both executive directors, e-voting coordinator Jason Kitcat, campaigner Peter Bradwell, grassroots campaigner Katie Sutton and administrator Katerina Maniadaki. Neil Gaiman was previously the group's patron. As of October 2022, the group had over 43,000 supporters.
ORGCON ORGCON was the first ever conference dedicated to digital rights in the UK, marketed as "a crash course in digital rights". It was held for the first time in 2010 at City University in London and included keynote talks from Cory Doctorow, politicians and similar pressure groups including Liberty, NO2ID and Big Brother Watch. ORGCON has since been held in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2019 where the keynote was given by Edward Snowden.
See also Campaign Against Censorship Censorship in the United Kingdom Internet censorship Open Genealogy Alliance
References
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