How much do you trust your Internet Service Provider? What if they were monitoring your every move, turning over your personal information, or reporting your activity to the authorities? This isn't some hypothetical, nightmare scenario. It's the reality we are all facing with a new international accord that is poised to fundamentally destroy the openness of the internet, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Disguised as a trade agreement and negotiated in secret, ACTA poses a threat to free speech online by forcing websites and ISPs to watch and track what we do online in the name of copyright protection.
While protecting copyright is a legitimate goal, ACTA takes a fire hose to a match in protecting intellectual property, while blatantly disregarding our rights in the process.
Already, eight countries have signed the agreement and others are lining up. ACTA is making its way to the European Parliament for a final consent vote.
Without EU approval, other countries will be forced back to the negotiating table.
Sign the petition here to demand Parliament to vote "No" on ACTA: https://www.accessnow.org/page/s/just-say-no-to-acta
So what makes ACTA so alarming? It demands companies to spy on us, criminalizes people for trivial offences (like downloading songs), and is so vaguely worded that it could allow governments to implement dangerous copyright-enforcement regimes, such as the French “three-strike” law, which cuts off a user's Internet access.
ACTA, which is not aligned with international legal standards, has long been opposed by leading experts, civil society, and lawmaking bodies in many countries like Brazil and Mexico.
Yet, portions of ACTA continue to be copy and pasted into other trade agreements and national laws, putting user rights dangerously at risk.
Now, with our collective voice, we can sway the European Parliament to shoot ACTA down! https://www.accessnow.org/page/s/just-say-no-to-acta
Users of sites like YouTube, Wikipedia, and Facebook are at risk of being monitored aggressively and be placed in danger since mere allegations of copyright infringement could lead to users being cut off from the Internet.
We must stand strong and reject agreements, which undermine democracy and the rule of law, and trample on our fundamental rights! Say “No” to ACTA by signing here: https://www.accessnow.org/page/s/just-say-no-to-acta
With determination, The Access Team
P.S. Access, in conjunction with European Digital Rights, and the Trans-Atlantic Consumer Dialogue, has put together an overview outlining the human rights, trade, innovation, democracy, and legal implications of ACTA. Read it here.
Sources:
Anti-counterfeiting agreement signed in Tokyo
U.S. Signs International Anti-Piracy Accord
More Countries React To ACTA; Brazil Says ACTA Is Illegitimate
Legal Expert Says Anti-counterfeit Deal Should Be Scrapped
ACTA violates fundamental human rights