Update Nov 24: We have received an email from Amazon's lawyers saying that they are no longer participating in Beacon and several users have affirmed this. Amazon claims that they never participated in it.

Update Nov. 23: I have contacted (and verified the contact info for) Fandango, Ebay, and Amazon. I don't know how accurate the phone numbers are for the other organizations or how to navigate their phone trees. If you know, be sure to let me know by commenting on this post or emailing me (2600denver@gmail.com) so that I can update this page.

Note to media: Due to the high levels of interest on this campaign, some of our members have made themselves available to speak with the media. Please direct inquiries to Ringo Kamens at 2600denver {at} gmail.com.

Facebook issued this statement today in response to the campaign lead by MoveOn and supported by Binary Freedom Activists to make Beacon an opt-in system.

“We encourage feedback from our users on new products, but in this case, the MoveOn.org-led group misrepresents how Facebook Beacon works. Beacon gives users an easy way to share relevant information from other sites with their friends on Facebook. Information is shared with a small selection of a user’s trusted network of friends, not publicly on the Web or with all Facebook users. Users also are given multiple ways to choose not to share information from a participating site, both on that site and on Facebook.”

Let's break this thing down:
"Beacon gives users an easy way to share relevant information from other sites with their friends on Facebook."

"When you buy a book or movie online--or make a political contribution--do you want that information automatically shared with the world on Facebook?

Most people would call that a huge invasion of privacy. But recently, Facebook began doing just that. People across the country saw private purchases they made on other sites displayed on their Facebook News Feeds. "
-- MoveOn.org

Facebook has begun blatantly violating the privacy of their users by publicizing (through user feeds, etc.) the purchases that users make. This is ridiculous and we need to stop it. Earlier I had considered leaving Facebook because of the shady figures that provided investment money but decided to stay. If Facebook starts telling my friends where I shop, what I buy, and who I donate money to then the decision will have been made for me and I will be leaving Facebook.

I have just gotten word about an article published in Discover Magazine (discovermagazine.com). The December 2007 edition of the Jason's World column claims that only a closed development process can create radical, revolutionary, original technology and he cites the iPhone as an example. As users of open source software and members of the free software community, we know this claim to be false. An excellent rebuttal has been posted here:
http://ubuntukids.org/blog/?p=60
I encourage you to submit your own letter to the editor of Discover Magazine at editorial {at} discovermagazine.com
Discover says that they will publish the article online soon and I have uploaded a copy to make sure you have access to it.
For accuracy,
Comrade Ringo Kamens

We alerted you earlier to exciting news that the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the FISA bill without any segments including retroactive immunity. The problem is that this will certainly be added in by *somebody* at *some point* before the bills passage. The reason that the telecoms have not been let off the hook is the massive amounts of grassroots pressure we have been available to apply. Lawsuits to protests. Phone calls to emails. Letters to media campaigns. We did it all and they had to listen. Luckily, a coalition of Senators led by Senator Chris Dodd has agreed to filibuster the bill if it contains any provisions that would give the telecoms immunity. We need to make sure every single representative hears us and the ACLU has asked you to send a quick email. Can you take five minutes out of your day to hold the telecoms accountable?
https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?=homepage&id=765&page=UserAction
In Solidarity,
Comrade Ringo Kamens

I have some updates for you today as it has been a busy week on the hill. First off, the education bill we have been fighting passed committee with dangerous p2p-related text intact. We need to continue fighting this bill. The best way to do this is to contact your representatives.

When you call, ask if there is a legislative aid on copyright, patents, and intellectual property. If there is, speak to them.
Here is a sample script if you don't know what to say. I encourage you to add something about how it affects you (especially if you are a college student)

"Hello, I am one of your constituents. My name is ______ and I live in _____. I understand that a bill entitled the "The College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007″ has been introduced which would strip universities of federal aid money if they do not filter the internet their students use. It also requires that colleges take measures approved by the industry giants such as the MPAA and RIAA who have shown in trials, congressional testimony, and through their actions that they can't be entrusted with this power. This is dangerous for free speech, education and the affordability of college.

As many of you know, Comcast has been illegally shaping traffic. This "shaping" basically stops bittorrent seeding, interferes with programs like lotusnotes, and is an infringement of the net neutrality doctrine. In California, a man has sued Comcast (See Hart v. Comcast) for this activity. More specifically, he alleges that comcast has (and they have) made falsified statements regarding their filtering and internet policies, constituting false advertising. He requests that comcast pay him (and if he gets his way, all other users within the court's jurisdiction) damages. Comcast has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit or else they lose by a default judgement. Wired's threat level blog says that comcast is preparing a statement on the issue. Watch this issue as it develops, because it will set an important precedent on net neutrality. According to TorrentFreak, SaveTheInternet also had plans in the work to launch a class-action lawsuit. May binary freedoms prevail!

Solidarity,
Comrade Ringo Kamens

I a happy to announce that the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the foremost group for defending online civil liberties and rights has joined our growing movement to stop the HEA modifications that would require colleges to use "industry approved" methods to stop illegal p2p traffic. They have started a campaign to help stop the bill and would like you to call your representatives. Can you please take 5 minutes to do so?
http://action.eff.org/site/Advocacy?id=331

In Danger,
Comrade Ringo Kamens

I am asking you today to help me stop an extremely dangerous bill introduced by Representative George Miller [D-CA] which would have disastrous effects for colleges across the country. The bill (H.R.4137) contains wording that, if passed into law, would jeopardize federal aid for universities if they refused to filter their student’s internet access. In other words, the bill is designed to force universities to police their student’s internet connections in a way that no other ISPs in the world do. Besides encouraging a violation of network neutrality on campuses, this bill demands universities to do something that is technically impossible — how is NYU’s router supposed to be able to tell the difference between a Creative Commons licensed video podcast that you’re downloading via Miro and an “illegal” file your roommate is getting off of a file sharing network?

EFF Suit Demands Telecom Lobbying Records from Director of National Intelligence - For Immediate Release: Wednesday, October 17, 2007
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed suit against the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) today, demanding any information about telecommunications companies' efforts to get off the hook for their role in the government's illegal electronic surveillance of millions of ordinary Americans.
Congress is currently considering granting amnesty to the telecoms -- a blatant attempt to derail lawsuits aimed at holding the companies responsible for knowingly violating federal privacy laws with warrantless wiretapping and the illegal transfer of vast amounts of personal data to the government. EFF represents the plaintiffs in Hepting v. AT&T, one of dozens of class-action suits accusing the telecoms of violating customers' rights by illegally assisting the National Security Agency with this domestic surveillance.