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RIP bill gets buried under fax mountain

Stand.org.uk sets up fax protest in response to government's controversial RIP Bill
Written by Will Knight, Contributor

MPs have been bombarded by thousands of faxes from Internet users incensed at the government's controversial Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Bill.

Campaigners from Internet-savvy civil liberties group Stand.org.uk set up an online service allowing users to protest about the Bill via fax. The group says thousands of faxes have been sent from the fax site.

The RIP bill, currently being discussed by a Parliamentary Standing Committee, will give law enforcers the power to imprison anyone who does not hand over keys to an encrypted mail. The proposal has received criticism from encryption specialists and legal experts who have branded it uneconomical, unworkable and a threat to British e-business.

Danny O'Brien, a member of Stand.org.uk and one of the brains behind the faxing stunt, comments in a statement, "This shows that, despite what the Government says, UK net users and businesses are very concerned about the dangers of this new bill."

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