UK ORG: 100s of members, Gaiman's a patron, going to Parliament!

The Open Rights Group (ORG), a new UK-based digital rights group that I am an advisor to, has posted great news about its activities. In just a couple weeks since they opened up for memberships, hundreds of people have joined the group, pledging £5 per month to an organization that has pledged to work for their online freedoms.

ORG has also signed up Neil Gaiman, author of many beloved, award-winning comics and novels, as its official Patron.

Finally, ORG has been invited to give testimony before a Parliamentary inquiry into Digital Rights Management technologies that restrict user-freedom and compromise fair competition.

Congrats, ORG! And thank all of you who've joined up to add Britain to the growing list of nations where public interest groups to safeguard online freedoms.

Gaiman, born in Porchester, is best known for his science fiction and fantasy work, including his best-selling graphic novel "The Sandman". He has also campaigned for many years for authors' freedoms, winning the Defender of Liberty Award from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in 1997, and writes extensively online.

"We're in a world in which digital rights, the world of the internet, and the exchange of information is getting more and more important and relevant to all our lives, wherever we are," said Gaiman. "I'm delighted that there's now a group of people committed to preserving and extending civil liberties in a digital world and to being sane and sensible as we careen into a digital future. I was honoured to be asked to be Patron of the Open Rights Group, and I look forward to working with them for years to come."

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