[Hammerlock2.0]

Something really, really bad has happened today. As you've probably concluded from the title today 22 European countries have signed ACTA in total secrecy.

At this point only Germany, Estonia, Slovakia, Cyprus and the Netherlands stand in the way of ACTA and we have to make sure it stays that way.

Here's some basic information you will need:

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a proposed plurilateral agreement for the purpose of establishing international standards on intellectual property rights enforcement.[1] It would establish an international legal framework for countries to join voluntarily,[2] and would create a governing body outside international institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) or the United Nations.[1][3] Negotiating countries have described it as a response "to the increase in global trade of counterfeit goods and pirated copyright protected works."[2] The scope of ACTA includes counterfeit goods, generic medicines and copyright infringement on the Internet.[4] Groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) oppose ACTA,[5] stating that civil society groups and developing countries were excluded from discussion during ACTA's development in an example of policy laundering.[6]

But what does that mean?

ACTA - a global treaty - could allow corporations to censor the Internet. Negotiated in secret by a small number of rich countries and corporate powers, it would set up a shadowy new anti-counterfeiting body to allow private interests to police everything that we do online and impose massive penalties -- even prison sentences -- against people they say have harmed their business.

...

Governments of four fifths of the world’s people were excluded from the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations and unelected bureaucrats have worked closely with corporate lobbyists to craft new rules and a dangerously powerful enforcement regime. ACTA would initially cover the US, EU and 9 other countries, then be rolled out across the world.

The oppressively strict regulations could mean people everywhere are punished for simple acts such as sharing a newspaper article or uploading a video of a party where copyrighted music is played. Sold as a trade agreement to protect copyrights, ACTA could also ban lifesaving generic drugs and threaten local farmers' access to the seeds they need. And, amazingly, the ACTA committee will have carte blanche to change its own rules and sanctions with no democratic scrutiny.

People in Poland are on the streets protesting against ACTA and their governments secrecy.

BBC news



We stopped SOPA, we can stop ACTA too.

There is a letter to the EU parliament that everyone can sign to show them that we oppose any form of corporate censorship on our lives.

If you wish to sign, click here: letter to the EU Parliament


This is an important matter that does not only affect the internet but all of our lives. If you're with me on this please tell your friends about it so they at least have the choice to oppose ACTA.

Thank you for taking your time.

[Rauno]

Rather shitty their doing this secretly. Why won't let the people decide, make a public voting. I'm glad Estonia hasn't signed it yet but do we have much of a choice if the whole EU is signing it?

[Hammerlock2.0]

We do have a choice. Every member has to sign it or it won't pass.

Our minister of justice gave an interview this week and she said that Germany will not agree to sign ACTA unless the full text is revealed (it's so hard to wrap my head around how secret they kept this, not even the heads of the countries who signed ACTA have seen the full text of it, are you kidding me?) and Germany will not agree to any law that could make the internet inaccessible for people.

It's the first time I was proud of a politician. I voted for her party in the last election.

[Voiceless]

Originally Posted by Hammerlock2.0

Something really, really bad has happened today. As you've probably concluded from the title today 22 European countries have signed ACTA in total secrecy.

At this point only Germany, Estonia, Slovakia, Cyprus and the Netherlands stand in the way of ACTA and we have to make sure it stays that way.

Germany WILL sign it this year. It was only a formality that they haven't yet. http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzp...811549,00.html (article in German)

[Hammerlock2.0]

Originally Posted by Voiceless

Germany WILL sign it this year. It was only a formality that they haven't yet. http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzp...811549,00.html (article in German)

This is confusing. The minister of justice says in this very article Germany will not agree to make the internet inaccessible to people and that ACTA will not interfere with German laws. So... what the hell are we signing it for? This just gets more and more confusing with every minute.

Why don't they just give everyone the chance to read the full text? Maybe I wouldn't even be panicking about it anymore.

[Hawndo]

Signed and shared over facebook. Didn't even know this existed, and I've been furious about PIPA and SOPA for ages.

[Voiceless]

Originally Posted by Hammerlock2.0

This is confusing. The minister of justice says in this very article Germany will not agree to make the internet inaccessible to people and that ACTA will not interfere with German laws. So... what the hell are we signing it for? This just gets more and more confusing with every minute.

Well, what politicians say and what they do are often two different things...

And remember that one¿



The corresponding law WAS actually signed. It was only withdrawn later.

[Hammerlock2.0]

Yeah, I remember that one. It was meant to stop internet child pornography but they just put that sucker all over the place. Luckily one of our governing parties (FDP) didn't agree with it and had it scratched.

By the way, the letter already has 400.000 signatures. That's 200.000 more than when I posted this thread. It's nice to know people all over the internet care.

[Tyson Fury]

SIGNED!!!

The 1% really don't want us to have any freedom do they? Whether its The Pariot Act, PIPA, SOPA, ACTA, they're always trying to find a way to control us! Don't they know that more and more people are wising up? With every act or piece of legislation they are creating more and more activists. The shits gonna hit the fan soon. We've seen the Arab Spring, the Occupy movements. Its still not enough. The World really needs Ron Paul as the US Prez. Going back to gold standard and abolishing the Federal Reserves are the first steps to giving freedom back to the world. But we are free some may think. What kind of freedom says, here you go, you can choose a leader for your country, choose anyone, but it has to between 2 people. I mean, really think about it. Freedom. Are we free? I sure dont feel it. My movements can be tracked at any point. Cameras are everywhere. People cant just build a house in a community and live of their land. They have to pay bills, tax etc...Is this freedom? The fact that we HAVE to work and HAVE to pay tax, national insurance etc. If I travelled anywhere outside the UK, Interpol would immiediately know where the hell I am. Oh but its all for my own protection right? Wouldnt want those cheeky arabs bombing my face of now would we? The same arabs that the UN, US, UK all did arms deals with before they decided to 'attack' the US. Gadaffi, Bin Laden, Hussain, fair enough, not the nicest people, but they have killled alot less people than Obama, Blair, Bush, Brown, Cameron.....you see where I'm going with this. I could go on forever but I'd probably bore ya'll.

Question everything.

[Couchwarrior]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_bERAf5KAg