Open Tech Calendar

Under proposals for a new Espionage Act journalists and whistleblowers could be sent to prison for 14 years for exposing corruption and government wrongdoing. Join us at Birmingham Open Media on Tuesday 21 March to find out from Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group, about what the new law means for journalists and whistleblowers and what you can do to stop the Law Commission's proposals.

About the Espionage Act

The Law Commission is advising the Government how to update the law about classified state secrets—they want a new Espionage Act to increase the penalties, and allow journalists handling secret documents to be treated like spies.

Their proposals would stop investigative journalism and public-interest whistleblowing concerning the secret state. Imagine if not only Edward Snowden but also Guardian journalists Alan Rusbridger, Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill and James Ball were imprisoned for exposing government lawbreaking at GCHQ.

Join us

Join us at Birmingham Open Media on Tuesday 21 March to find out more about what the Espionage Act and what you can do to stop the Law Commission criminalising journalists and public-interest whistleblowers.

Our lead speaker will be Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group. Since joining Open Rights Group in January 2009, Jim has led campaigns against three strikes and the Digital Economy Act, the company Phorm and its plans to snoop on UK users, and against pervasive government Internet surveillance. He is working on data protection and privacy issues, as well as helping ORG to grow in size and breadth. He was named as one of the 50 most influential people on IP issues by Managing IP in 2012. In the same year ORG won Liberty's Human Rights Campaigner of Year award alongside 38 Degrees, for work on issues from copyright to the Snooper’s Charter.

Sign the petition

Nearly 20,000 people have already signed the Open Rights Group's petition, demanding the Law Commission drop plans to criminalise journalists and public-interest whistleblowers. Speak up by signing the petition today.