New MP WebFax service from www.STAND.org.uk

[Tom Loosemore]

        >> >> FAX YOUR MP OVER THE INTERNET

        You're now just three clicks away from faxing
        your MP.

        From today, net surfers can send their MP a fax
        direct from the Web - for free. Set up by
        volunteer e-democracy campaigners STAND.org.uk,
        the new MP WebFax service makes it trivially easy
        for constituents to contact their MP directly.

        Veteran net-geek Danny O'Brien, one of the brains
        behind the service, said "Many people do not know
        the name of their MP, let alone how to raise a
        concern with them. Our new MP WebFax service
        represents a huge step forward for e-democracy."

        STAND.org.uk hopes the new service will raise
        awareness amongst MPs about sweeping new powers to
        spy on internet users contained in the Regulation
        of Investigatory Powers Bill, currently before
        Parliament.

        "This Bill contains ill-conceived proposals that
        will seriously damage UK e-commerce, as well as
        threaten some basic civil liberties" O'Brien
        added. "Since the Government is trying to rush
        this legislation through Parliament, we decided to
        use the Internet to speed up our campaign to amend
        the worst bits of the Bill."

        STAND.org.uk's MP WebFax service is available now
        at www.STAND.org.uk


        >> >> ABOUT STAND.org.uk

        Created by around 20 volunteers from the UK new
        media industry, the STAND.org.uk e-campaign aims
        to focus MPs' attention on widespread public
        discontent over the Government's proposed
        legislation controlling electronic commerce.

        To date over 5,700 UK net users have signed up to
        the STAND.org.uk "Adopt an MP" campaign and have
        pledged to inform their MP of their concerns about
        the Government's e-commerce legislation, many by
        publishing "@doption" certificates on their personal
        Websites. All but a handful of MPs have now been
        @dopted by one or more concerned constituents.

        STAND.org.uk's innovative e-campaign has received
        numerous awards and commendations, including the
        1999 New Statesman New Media Advocacy & Merit Awards and
        New Media Age magazine's Special Award For Innovation.


        >> >> STAND.org.uk CONTACT DETAILS:

        Tom Loosemore
        Tel:    07941 262 884
        Email:  stand@stand.org.uk
        Web:    www.STAND.org.uk

        >> >> OTHER E-COMMERCE POLITICAL INTEREST GROUPS

        Caspar Bowden,
        Director Foundation for Information Policy Research
        Tel:    0207 354 2333
        Email:  cb@fipr.org
        Web:    www.fipr.org

        Malcolm Hutty
        Campaign Against Censorship of the Internet in Britain.
        Tel:    0207 589 4500
        Email:  cacib@liberty.org.uk