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[ [link removed] ]Free Press Action
Friend, it’s been a busy month for us here at Free Press Action.
From gearing up for the return of Net Neutrality (!!!) to pushing tech companies like Meta to keep online platforms safe to urging Congress to protect affordable internet for millions, we’re engaged in a lot of urgent fights — and we completely understand if you’re having a hard time keeping track of everything.
So to make sense of it all, we put together an essential roundup of ways you can take action and brush up on what’s happening:
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ACT:
* Help Stop a Bad Surveillance Bill.
Last week, the House expanded a controversial government surveillance authority known as Section 702, which has been abused by law enforcement and intelligence agencies like the FBI and NSA to spy on us — our calls, texts, emails, locations — without adequate public or judicial oversight. We don’t have a lot of time to demand common-sense reforms to this bill before the Senate votes since things are moving quickly on Capitol Hill.
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* Tell Big Tech Companies to Protect Users and Democracy.
Keeping users safe should be a priority for tech companies like Google, Meta, Reddit and more as toxic election disinformation runs rampant. A Free Press-led coalition of more than 200 civil-society organizations, researchers and journalists sent a letter calling on the leading social-media platforms to strengthen platform-integrity efforts and protect democratic elections worldwide in 2024.
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* Tell Congress to Pass the ACP Extension Act.
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides a monthly subsidy to people living near the poverty line or enrolled in federal-aid programs like Medicaid and SNAP to offset the cost of essential high-speed internet. Funding for the program will dry up by the end of this month unless Congress acts ASAP.
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READ:
* Congress Is on Track to Pass a ‘Dramatic and Terrifying’ Expansion of U.S. Government Spy Powers.
In a powerful Op-Ed, Policy Counsel Jenna Ruddock explains why Congress’ possible reauthorization and expansion of Section 702 should worry everyone.
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* The House Passes the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act (FANFSA)!
This bipartisan bill would close a loophole that allows the government to buy personal data they would otherwise need a warrant to obtain.
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* Hundreds of Groups Back Effort to Pass the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act.
A coalition of 271 civil-society groups and local, state and Tribal governments sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives that urges all members to sign a discharge petition that Rep. Yvette Clarke (D–New York) filed in support of the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act. If enough lawmakers sign on, the bill will go to the House floor for a vote.
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* The New Net Neutrality Rules Are Strong. Period.
On April 25, the Federal Communications Commission will vote to reinstate the Net Neutrality rules and restore its authority to hold broadband providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon accountable. Some academics and advocates have suggested that the proposed rules are weaker than the Obama-era protections we lost under the Trump FCC. This is a false alarm, as we prove in this explainer.
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Thanks for taking action and reading, friend!
We’ll continue to fight grave threats to the free and open internet, local journalism and a functioning democracy. But we can’t do this work alone. Will you donate to Free Press Action? We don't take a cent from business, government or political parties — so anything you can give today makes a real difference.
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DONATE NOW
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Thanks so much,
All of us at Free Press Action
freepress.net
