Three things to do on The Day We Fight Back
Today is “the day we fight back” against mass surveillance, and here at FSFE we’re proud to be part of the struggle.
Mass surveillance is a huge problem. Governments are spying on you, endangering the very fabric of democracy. Corporations are asking you to deal away your privacy for a little convenience, with much the same effect. 
Mass surveillance is also a hard problem to solve. Essentially, we are up against a very human fear of dangers hidden somewhere in the dark. We’re being told that surveillance will protect us.
Our task is to make everyone understand that surveillance not only fails at protecting us. It also makes everyone worse off in the long run. Difficult, but we have to start somewhere.
So here are three humble suggestions for small steps you can take to secure a democratic future for our societies:
- Make your web browsing more secure by installing the HTTPS Everywhere extension in your browser. This will make it much harder for potential snoopers to intercept your connection with the web sites you look at, and will help to protect any data you send there.
- Generate a GPG key, and start using it to encrypt your data – especially your email. (There’s help on the web.)
- Write to one or more of your political representatives. Explain that you are deeply concerned about mass surveillance, and ask them to help end the practice. Be polite, brief and clear.
See, that wasn’t so hard. You have not only made yourself a little more secure, you have also helped others to improve their privacy, and have contributed to driving political change. Thank you!
Here’s a fourth thing you can do: Support FSFE by joining the Fellowship. FSFE is dedicated to working for freedom in the digital society. We need your help to carry this struggle forward in the years to come.