March 13th, 2006
Mad about DRM techs or the DMCA? Here's the fastest way to let your Congressperson know
So, are you sick of and tired of C.R.A.P. (my own acronym for DRM or digital restrictions management technology)? Do you feel like Hollywood, the record industry, and the government have gone too far with the Digital Millenium Copyright Act? Do you want to see broadcast flag legislation stopped (and you should)? What about the law enforced obsoletion of that new HDTV you just bought. You know. The one where, if it lacks the new secret decoder ring (which most HDTV diplays do), it will only playback HiDef broadcasts in LoDef.
Perhaps you’re one of those people (like me) that wants to do something about all this but that doesn’t have the time to draft your own letter to your Congressperson or President Bush. Then maybe you should check out the Home Recording Rights Coalition (HRRC) Web site. After entering your zip code, the HRRC’s Web site figures out who your Congressional representatives are, and then, with a few more clicks, generates an email to them as well as to President Bush on the issues of your choice (see the partial screen shot below). In the course of doing your civic duty, you can be in and out of the site in a matter of minutes. Regarding your privacy (since you have to provide some personal information), the HRRC’s Web site says:
If you choose to email Members of Congress or other government officials through our website and to provide us with a copy of your communication, we may show a copy of that communication to Members of Congress, congressional staffers or other government officials. We may also use your communication as an exhibit at a hearing or other public discussion, or we may quote from it in our educational materials. Also, we may include your name on a list of HRRC supporters that we make public.
Here’s the partial screenshot:
