On July 1, nearly all major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will start actively inspecting your Internet traffic as part of a new agreement with the RIAA. This means that Verizon, Comcast, and virtually any other company that can connect you to the Internet will have infrastructure in place to examine your Internet traffic at all times, and they'll use it to punish you if they think you're violating the copyright of someone that the RIAA represents. I won't go into why I think this is a bad idea (e.g., it sets dangerous precedent; it favors only the interests a specific private group; it moves legal determinations regarding copyright out of the courtroom and into the hands of ISPs; etc.), but I hope you'll agree that this is not a good development.

Nick Merrill is founding a new ISP called Calyx with a charter that makes user privacy its first priority. He plans to challenge unreasonable requests for user data from the government and private industries (e.g., the RIAA), and he'll provide a VPN so that all network traffic coming out of your computer is encrypted.  He aims to raise between one and two million dollars within the next two months, using the crowdfunding site Indiegogo.

I'd love to see this become a reality.  In order for that to happen, a lot of people need to donate between now and June at http://www.indiegogo.com/calyx.

If you're not ready to fork over ten bucks based on a CNET article and my one-paragraph description, that's understandable.  Here's a brief Q&A that might help you make up your mind (with TL;DRs for the impatient):

Calyx will make choices based on how well they preserve user privacy. When a private group asks them to do deep-packet inspection, they will certainly not comply.  When the government asks for a user's traffic history, they will staunchly require proof of legitimacy (e.g., a warrant) and will take legal action against government methods they believe are unlawful or unconstitutional.

Most other ISPs, as you may have guessed, will not take any such measures. In fact, AT&T actually allowed the NSA to set up a massive wiretap on a primary network hub that allows the government to monitor the Internet traffic of millions of Americans at will, with no warrant whatsoever.

Nick Merrill, the founder the company, used to run a small ISP based in New York. When the PATRIOT Act came into effect, the FBI could issue something called "National Security Letters" (NSLs), which were a new way for law enforcement to demand user data from ISPs without a warrant. Merrill refused to comply with the NSLs, and battled the orders in court. After several years of legal battles, the courts found that NSLs were unconstitutional and Congress amended the law.

As mentioned above, he has run a tight-budgeted ISP before, so he knows what he's doing, fiscally, legally, and technically.

That's okay!  There's still lots you can do:

TL;DR: Calyx is seeking crowdfunded donations to launch an ISP that holds user privacy as its first priority. This flies in the face of the industry norm, where users' online histories are inspected and shared with third parties without a fight or a second thought.

If you can, please donate to help change the ISP market for the better.