Buy Internet History of Politicians
"Despite widespread disapproval from constituents, S.J.Res 34 has passed the United States Senate with a vote of 50-48, with two absent votes. Earlier today, at 12:25 Eastern March 23, 2017, the US Senate voted on S.J.Res 34, and will use the Congressional Review Act to strip away broadband privacy protections that kept Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and telecoms from selling your internet history and app data usage to third parties. S.J.Res 34 was first introduced by 23 Republican Senators earlier this month and its blitz approval is a giant blow to privacy rights in the United States." - Caleb Chen, Privacy News Online
This idea spawned from a witty Reddit comment. However, if we can actually make this a reality. This demonstration alone can convince House representatives from voting in favor of this bill.
If this bill passes, I will use the money raised to put every effort forth to follow through with the goal to obtain and share the internet browsing data from every politician and representative who have supported this bill.
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**If this bill does not pass, I promise the money will be donated to organizations who are dedicated to help protect our internet privacy.
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Update 03/28/2017:
The house passed the bill 215 in favor to 205 opposed. In the final roll call 15 Republicans flipped to oppose. This only tells us that our efforts calling our representatives is working. The following link shows the final roll call:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2017/roll202.xml
We will continue our efforts until and after the bill reaches Donald Trump's desk. I encourage everyone to stay active on this issue; call your representatives who voted No and thank them, let them know we are watching and listening. Just as important, all your representative who voted in favor of this horrible bill. We need to let politicians know we are paying close attention to their actions on the hill and will respond appropriately during the upcoming election cycle. I thank everyone for their contributions and sharing this story. Don't give up.
“When millions of people stand up and fight...they win.” ~ Sen. Bernie Sanders
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Update 03/28/2017:
I want to take this opportunity to be as transparent as possible and send an important update to all contributors as well as those who stumble onto this page.
Max Temkin, the creator/owner of Cards Against Humanity, publicly stated:
"If this shit passes I will buy the browser history of every congressman and congressional aide and publish it. cc @SpeakerRyan" - https://twitter.com/MaxTemkin/status/846437803164684290
Sounds similar doesn't it? He went on to elaborate his statement as well as call out some kickstarters. You can read about this here: http://resistancereport.com/news/cards-humanity-creator-just-pledged-buy-publish-congresss-browser-history/
Let me point out one notable followup tweet by Max:
"also be wary of Kickstarters to buy this data, it doesn't exist and isn't for sale yet. Nobody knows what they're talking about." - https://twitter.com/MaxTemkin/status/846857142695067650
He is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. I did not start this with a full plan. Rather, I started this campaign to try to bring attention to the absurdity of the bill in hopes that it would not pass in which case the money would be donated. As a backup, and if the bill does pass (which as of March 30th its only waiting on Trump's approval) hope to raise enough money and resources to carry out this extremely ambitious endeavor of buying the internet history of politicians. I've been messaged to collaborate with other gofundme's because we share a common goal and they have managed to raise much more. I was completely on-board, however I was skeptical as I wanted to first make sure their heart is in the right place and they have multiple plans on what to do with the funds raise if plan A, or B, or even plan C fails.
I stand firmly by my comments that if we miss our mark or fall short on money raised, the funds raised will go towards advocacy groups or causes that I believe all contributors can agree on. Never line my own pockets with the money raised, never.
All this being said, I plan to use this weekend to make some contacts to see if I can work together with some of these existing groups. Otherwise make the tough decision whether or not this is where our funds should be focused. If I was being honest, it seems like the original plan of "Buying Internet History of Politicians" may be too high of a goal. Especially now that Max Temkin, a person with much more resources and funds, has publicly stated he will release all information once available this may not be an area where we need to "invest".
While donating the money to advocacy groups, such as EFF, will always be an option as they are leaders in fighting for digital freedom rights and net neutrality. I also recognize that most donors frankly want to embarrass these politicians for voting away our internet rights. That is the main focus of this gofundme. Therefore I'm going to explore some avenues where we can accomplish similar feats with the funds we raise together. One option is renting a billboard along a major highway to call out local representatives or senators who voted for this bill. Another option, which is much more cost affective, is renting a plane to fly a banner with a similar message.
Again, I want to thank everyone who has donated already. I promise to use the funds we raise together in a responsible manner that reflects the core values of the donors. I will continue to update as more information comes and decisions are made. Lastly, please do not be silent as politicians sell our rights away. They have the obligation to listen to their constituents. If we remain silent, we are only affirming their actions.
"Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor." – Ginetta Sagan
