Some bad ideas just won't die. In 2008, the Brazilian Senate passed a cybercrime bill that would have limited freedom of expression and threatened privacy online. Strong public opposition, including a speech by then-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in which he denounced the bill, prevented it from ever becoming law.

Now the Brazilian Cybercrime bill is back. According to the Brazilian Institute for Consumer Defense, the bill would criminalize many of the common, everyday behaviors of online consumers, such as file sharing, or transferring the contents of a CD onto a computer.

Campaigns in opposition to the bill are in full force, including Mega Nao or "Big No," and Avaaz's petition to Save Brazil's Internet that has been signed by over 175,000 people. If you are in Brazil, sign now to make your voice heard and to protect digital civil liberties.

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