Paris, 30 November 2013 — Today we find ourselves at a crossroads: surveillance or privacy? Net neutrality or discrimination of our communications? “Copywrong” threatening the public or copyright reform to sanctuarize our cultural practices? These decisions will have a radical impact on our relationship with technology and power and affect society as a whole. We all know this. And we also know that without a concerted effort by citizens, the political and economic powers will take the line that will lead us to the worst case scenario.
The outline of surveillance states based on spying on citizens and their behaviours is begin drawn more precisely by the day. Social and cultural movements experience an increasing online repression. Big U.S. American Internet and entertainment companies have become police auxiliaries by engaging everywhere in this surveillance. We are faced with a critical choices for the future of our society. The future depends on each one of us, but the defence and the reconstruction of a free and open Internet for all will only be feasible if organisations, independent of private and governmental pressure, such as La Quadrature du Net, are there to contribute.
La Quadrature du Net is a team of five permanent staff members and one intern who labour every day to inform citizens and to help them to engage in the public debate. More than 50% of its budget is covered by individuals’ donations. Most of the rest is met by general interest foundations and a small part is covered by social funds. Your impressive generosity has allowed us to exist for more than five years and to build up a considerable body of work on a great amount of topics and issues. The budget of the current year 2013 is however falling short of €35 000. This is why we are soliciting you again.
Supporting La Quadrature du Net financially ensures the independence of the association and gives it the means to continue its actions on a long-term basis. The above mentioned crucial questions will not be solved in a couple of weeks or even in a couple of months, but we are certain that collectively and democratically we can find answers to them that are appropriate to their gravity. For this, your support is needed.
It is more of a symbolic compensation, but your support will be represented by a “Pi-xel” in the logo on this page. If you have already supported La Quadrature du Net this year, your previous contributions will be taken into account when we send you thank you gifts. And you will also be able to upgrade your “Pi-xel” and make it blink!
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