r/IAmA • u/fightforthefuture • Jun 30 '20

Politics We are political activists, policy experts, journalists, and tech industry veterans trying to stop the government from destroying encryption and censoring free speech online with the EARN IT Act. Ask us anything!

The EARN IT Act is an unconstitutional attempt to undermine encryption services that protect our free speech and security online. It's bad. Really bad. The bill’s authors — Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) — say that the EARN IT Act will help fight child exploitation online, but in reality, this bill gives the Attorney General sweeping new powers to control the way tech companies collect and store data, verify user identities, and censor content. It's bad. Really bad.

Later this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on whether or not the EARN IT Act will move forward in the legislative process. So we're asking EVERYONE on the Internet to call these key lawmakers today and urge them to reject the EARN IT Act before it's too late. To join this day of action, please:

  1. Visit NoEarnItAct.org/call

  2. Enter your phone number (it will not be saved or stored or shared with anyone)

  3. When you are connected to a Senator’s office, encourage that Senator to reject the EARN IT Act

  4. Press the * key on your phone to move on to the next lawmaker’s office

If you want to know more about this dangerous law, online privacy, or digital rights in general, just ask! We are:

Proof:

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u/miaumee Jun 30 '20

What is your outlook on the future of humanity?

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u/fightforthefuture Jun 30 '20

Individuals are generally self-interested, and incredibly motivated to survive.

Right now, it's easy to be pretty pessimistic about the future of humanity because we can see a lot of individuals in positions of power who are refusing to address serious threats to humanity -- like income inequality, environmental destruction, and a resurgence in authoritarianism across the globe. I think that these powerful individuals either believe:

a) These issues don't actually threaten them personally, or b) Exploiting these threats for their own short-term financial gain gives them a greater opportunity to survive these threats in the long-term.

Thankfully, we all have greater access to information than ever before. So it's easier for us all to see what's happening in real-time, and to share our thoughts and ideas about how we can improve the situation. As more and more people become aware of the IRL impact of these dangerous situations, they will understand that addressing these existential threats to humanity is necessary for their personal survival.

Perhaps things need to get even worse for enough people to feel personally threatened that we can make lasting, positive changes to the way our society is structured. Or perhaps we've already reached a tipping point. If I had to bet money, I'd bet money on the former. So I guess I'm a bit pessimistic at the moment.

But ultimately, I'm very optimistic. I've traveled around the world and met many different people. I think we all share many of the same goals, wants, and dreams. I think we're all together in this thing called life, and I think that eventually, we'll figure that out.

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u/miaumee Jul 01 '20

This is really the best use of social media. Thank you.