Sometimes it's important to keep your identity hidden. For these dangerous times, there's Global Voice's guide to anonymous blogging. This 25 page guide has screen-shot step by step instructions for activists to make their blog much harder to trace. The guide uses Wordpress and Tor to create more secure sites and gives instructions for using public computers as well as personal systems. Every action has a blurb about why it's important for non-tech savvy activists.

The concern over nations becoming "Big Brother" surveillance states is alive and well in Canada.

Canada, that bastion of civility, open-mindedness and personal rights?

Yes, unless you don't follow foreign affairs, our neighbour to the north has been under a conservative -- very conservative -- government for a bit of time now, with Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper serving as prime minister.

The most recent threat to personal privacy coming out of Ottawa is a bill that sounds frighteningly reminiscent of ones we've seen in the U.S.

The "Act to enact the Investigating and Preventing Criminal Electronic Communications Act and to amend the Criminal Code and other acts" would, among other abominable violations of civil liberties:

Censorship circumvention is the act of bypassing Internet filters in order to access restricted websites and other online services that have been blocked.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship

http://objavi.flossmanuals.net/books/circumventiontools-en-2011.04.12-14...

Hacktivism, or 'Political Hacking', is a form of eletronic civil disobedience and direct action that came to prominence in the 1990's. Hacktivists use both legal and legally dubious electronic tools to accomplish political ends. Hactivism may be considered a form of Internet Activism.One of the more well known entirely legal forms of hactivism is the 'electronic sit-in'.

History

Until now, Canada’s Internet has been an open network and a level playing field for free speech, innovation, and consumer choice. All that is now under threat.

Ottawa’s Open Internet Town Hall is designed to give local citizens the chance to shape Canada’s broadband future. As Canada falls behind other OECD countries on Internet speed, cost, and openness, SaveourNet.ca will host a lively discussion guided by panelists representing web innovators, social change leaders, and public policy gurus.