Unpacking an activist toolbox: EFF's tools and tips for effective copyright advocacy

Unpacking an
Activist Toolbox
EFF's Tools and Tips for
Effective Copyright Advocacy
Maira Sutton, Global Policy Analyst
Parker Higgins, Activist

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
The Challenges
• Diffuse interest countering a concentrated
power
• Sorry to break it to you folks, but copyright policy
is not, by default, very interesting to mere
mortals
• The irrational arguments against sensible policy
can feel very strong
– Starving artists!
– That's stealing!
– Property!

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
Theory of change
●
“I am increasingly convinced that the
difference between effective and ineffective
people is their skill at developing a theory of
change.” –Aaron Swartz
●
Move backwards from the outcome you
want, not forwards from what you know

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
●
Not always explicit, but it can help!
●
Will “awareness” drive policymakers to
make better decisions?
●
Can public pressure convince a platform to
implement better policies?
●
Will a well-placed message or anecdote
reframe the debate?

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
●
OR do we really need something less
glamorous, but just as important? Is it just
about making sure the right people hear
the right thing at the right time?
●
Not every campaign has to be a blow-out
grassroots uprising

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
Walking the talk
EFF's core values, around privacy and
empowering users, shapes the campaigns
we run

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
●
We don't collect more data than necessary
or use “tricks,” so our absolute numbers
may be lower
●
BUT we can really embrace the sharing
ethos, and our campaign messages spread
further than we could push it

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
What did we need from our
tools?
●
Deploy attractive web pages quickly that
explain issues and urge users to action
●
Contacting legislators, signing a petition,
picking up the phone, tweeting a
message*
●
Control as much of the stack as possible,
after SOPA headaches

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
*an aside on tweeting
●
Often lumped in with “clicktivism,” but
let's talk theory of change!
●
Lawmakers still frequently check their
own Twitter accounts, and a few well-
placed tweets matter
●
It comes up in hearings! It's wild!

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
The result: Action Center

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
Petition action

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
Contact congress action

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
Tweet action

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
Built on contact-congress

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
democracy.io

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
What about social media?
●
Awareness-raising and messaging efforts
are totally valid and can be exciting
campaigns
●
Where do we do these? Follow Sutton's
Law, and go to the platforms people use
●
But prepare to invest time. It takes effort
to meet people where they are.

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
Twitter campaigns
●
Images, images, images. Current trend is
~2:1
●
Look at how SOPA coverage unfolded!
●
Think about theory of change. Right now,
you can ask yourself the Snowden
question.

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
●
Really, can't overstate the importance of
knowing the platform. This is a cost of
doing business.
●
You should be able to tell a story of who
will be taking part

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
Hashtags?
●
EFF basically does not use hashtags.
●
Why? Well, for one thing, they make your
tweet uglier.
●
But also, you lose control of the arena.
●
And, they don't provide much value to the
people you're trying to convince

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
Exceptions!
●
Hashtags are great for names of people,
for news around a story, or that very rare
opportunity where people can run with it

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
#freebassel

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
#tellviceverything

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
Other messaging guidelines
●
Think about the words you're using
– Can we avoid “intellectual property”?
– Do you mean copyright “protection”? Or do you mean
“restriction”?
●
Verbs. Gotta love verbs. Especially action
verbs.
●
First few characters before people stop
reading

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
Big room discussion
●
Let's talk about campaigns or strategies or
tactics that you've led, worked on,
participated in, or just observed. Local and
regional are a big plus!
●
What worked, and what didn't?
●
What software or tech would have helped
you? How can we get that to you?

CC Summit, 2015-10-16
questions?
Parker Higgins // parker@eff.org // @xor
Maira Sutton // maira@eff.org // @maira

Unpacking an activist toolbox: EFF's tools and tips for effective copyright advocacy

Unpacking an activist toolbox: EFF's tools and tips for effective copyright advocacy

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Unpacking an activist toolbox: EFF's tools and tips for effective copyright advocacy