The EFF is a noble cause and there are many times that I am in complete agreement if not perpetually. This is again one of those times. They too saw the damage that the US proposed law poses to freedom of speech and the freedom of the press.

Republished from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Say No to Online Censorship!

Recent publications made by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks have fueled an emotionally charged debate about the secrecy of government information and the people’s right to know. This debate has turned into a massive attack on the right of intermediaries to publish truthful information.

Make no mistake — this is about much more than WikiLeaks. Shutting down sites like WikiLeaks is a very serious attack on freedom of expression.

In the United States, publishers have a fundamental right to print truthful political information. Equally important, Internet users have a fundamental right to read that information and voice their opinions about it. Throughout the world, these values are codified into the laws of many countries and are included in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Unfortunately, these values are only as strong as the will to support them. When individuals or companies choose to turn their backs on protected speech, we all lose. The key to participatory government is an educated electorate.

We’re already seeing the backlash from recent events. Governments around the world are proposing laws that would severely limit our right to free expression. In the United States, lawmakers have rashly proposed a law that would threaten many news reporting agencies. Sadly, we expect to see similar efforts in other countries over the coming weeks and months.

Now is the time to stand up for your rights. Join EFF and stand up against Internet censorship. Here are some things you can do now to show that you care:

• Download EFF’s No Censorship button to your website and to your social networking campaign.
• Replace your social networking avatars with EFF’s No Censorship graphic.
• Join EFF’s Twibbon campaign.
• Become a member of EFF to help us continue the fight for your rights!

Download the “No Censorship” button! Right-click on the button image above and select “Save Image As…” from the menu.

Speak Out Against Censorship

Join the campaign. Put EFF’s “No Censorship” button where it will be seen, and take a stand for freedom of expression.

On Twitter » Participate in our Twibbon Campaign and replace your Twitter avatar with EFF’s No Censorship button.

On Facebook » Replace your Facebook profile photo with EFF’s “No Censorship” button.