June 29th, 2025 Meeting

Meeting to be held via video conference: https://communitybridge.com/bbb-room/mass-pirates-member-meeting/

Recording:

Decisions/Endorsements

Commonwealth Bills to Review

• An Act to promote transparency of facial recognition and driver's license photos ([https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1731 S.1731))
• An Act to implement the recommendations of the special commission on facial recognition technology (H.1946/S.1053)
• An Act relative to unmanned aerial systems (H.3749 / S.2438)
• An Act relative to protecting Massachusetts residents against federal government surveillance (H.2687)
• Dignity Not Deportations Act (H.1588 / S.1122)
• Right to Repair Bills:
  • H.433 & S.189
  • H.398
  • H.1278 (Hearing occurred)
• Decrim Sex Work Bills:
  • An Act to promote the health and safety of people in the sex trade (H.1980)
  • An Act to study the decriminalization of sex work (H.2467)
  • An Act relative to safe reporting (H.1747)
  • An Act relative to sexual assault by an officer (H.2634)

Here is an etherpad for people to offer suggestions.

Bills We Decided On

• An Act to provide accountability in the use of biometric recognition technology and comprehensive enforcement (H.96/S.36)
• Civil Asset Forfeiture reform (H.1953)

Federal Bills to Review

• Anti-File Sharing bills:
  • Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act (FADPA)
  • American Copyright Protection Act (ACPA)
  • ... more on the bills at https://torrentfreak.com/fears-of-overblocking-unite-critics-of-u-s-pirate-site-blocking-bill/
• Senators working on a bill that would repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Section 230 is the primary reason we have freedom of speech on the Internet. See this explainer. We have long supported Section 230 implicitly, but we never wrote up a statement why. Including why we support free speech seems important right now, as well.
• TAKE IT DOWN Act / Analysis - Passed the Senate

A reconsideration of Member Meeting Articles

We haven't adhered to our Articles of Agreement's Member Meetings section strictly since we have existed, specifically the [ https://masspirates.org/wiki/Articles_of_Agreement#4.2_Form Form] and Time sections. Meetings have met weekly and bi-weekly (our current form) and not twice a year each over six weeks.

Rework them to:

• Have a section on conferences (possible spring/fall, at least one a year)
• Rework the member meetings to be on-line at least once a month
• Set when elections for the pirate council is and that we can elect people at a conference or on-line by secret ballot

Projects/Events

Pirate News

Leader: Joseph

• Pirate news recording scheduled for every other Sunday, 7pm with go-live at 7:30pm. Unless changed

2025 Voter Outreach

Leader: Jamie

• Letters to city election committee/town clerk asking for pirate voters/election dates
• Follow ups as necessary
• Snail Mail supporters in December to tell them about:
  • Conference
  • Call for officer nominees
  • Municipal elections
  • Other events/efforts
  • Donate/join our mailing list

2025/6 Campaigns

Leader: Jamie

Actions:

• Outreach to volunteers:
  • Ask them to organize locally
  • Ask them to campaign/run
  • Ask them to give us their full contact info
  • Call potential candidates/supporters
• Videos:
  • Selecting campaign
  • Planning campaign
  • Get on the ballot
  • Fundraising
  • Voter Id
  • GOTV