INTERNET CENSORSHIP(ACTA) - REBLOG PLEASE
(( I just decided to copy Birvans’ Journal, since it is well explained. ))
SOPA and PIPA were monsters valiantly slain by us little, but overwhelming, internet dwellers. But it’s thanks to some larger inhabitants that brought their dreadful existence to our attention (and not to the so called news media, that provided little to no cover about the topic)
There are other monsters lurking however, so the fight is far from over!
First we have their big brother ACTA, a very secretive beast that’s been around since 2007. It’s been disguising itself as a trade agreement, reason why it managed to grow without the interference of ELECTED representatives until it reached its threatening adult size (the European Parliament was actually DENIED to have a look at it when they asked for a copy)
And it’s a very frightening monster indeed. If it’s allowed to roam free it will blur the boundary between counterfeit and piracy and it will monitor all your actions (and everyone else’s, including your aunt’s). That is, in the name of protecting copyrights and trademarks, it will trample on our civil rights, privacy and freedom. And if it catches you doing anything slightly wrong (like quoting a newspaper article, uploading a video with copyrighted music in the background or send an mp3 to a friend) it can punish you with anything from denying you your internet connection to criminally punish you with a fine or send you to jail
And then we have ACTA’s son TPP, which is a concentrated version of its restrictiveness. It was also raised in secret, but it seems to have been spotted a bit before reaching its maturity
Though it’s currently restrained to a small amount of countries, if released this little monster would soon spread all over the world and rewrite the global rules on Intelectual Property enforcement. It would prey on any copyright infringement, even temporary or non commercial reproductions, and threat them as a criminal act. And it wouldn’t provide any limitations and exceptions, like the fair use protection
So we can’t allow these monsters to roam unchecked. It doesn’t matter if their owners claim their “little pets” were being raised for the common good, the fact is they were grown behind closed doors, monitored by a selected few instead of allowing regulation by the public opinion
They are one-sided, undemocratic, heavy-handed horrors that favor the selected elites and put everyone else under a dictatorial regime
More info here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=citzRjwk-sQ
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-01/24/acta-101
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-01/26/eu-signs-up-to-acta
http://www.stopp-acta.info/english/
https://www.eff.org/pages/trans-pacific-partnership-agreement
http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/03/14/us-renews-secret-push-to-impose-its-failed-copyright-regime/
