Katitza from EFF writes, "Paraguay is at a vitally important digital civil liberties crossroads, and we're calling on all Paraguayans to help! "
On June 4, the Paraguayan senate will vote on a data retention mandate — one of the worst anti-privacy bills to ever hit the legislature there. If passed, the bill, dubbed Pyrawebs, would be a devastating blow for Paraguayan' basic privacy rights by compelling local ISPs to retain communications and location details of users for at least 12 months. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has teamed up with over 60 international organizations to support local groups in Paraguay in stopping this disproportionate and dangerous bill from passing.
If you are Paraguayan, contact your senator to express your concerns with Pyrawebs. You can use EFF's action tool or tweet at Congress directly using the hashtag #Pyrawebs. If you are outside Paraguay, use #Pyrawebs to help spread the word.
Paraguayan Internet users have been calling the bill 'Pyrawebs,' alluding to the digital version of pyragües, informers who monitored the civilian population movements, meetings, political preferences, religious orientation and more on behalf of ex-dictator, Alfredo Stroessner who ruled between 1954 and 1989.
The now invalid-European data retention directive is being exported to Paraguay, and Internet users there are fighting back.
EFF Joins Huge Global Coalition Urging Paraguayan Legislators to Reject Mass Surveillance
[David Bogado and Katitza Rodriguez/EFF]
