Not content with merely destroying health care (and the economy), our Washington Overlords intend to destroy the Internet too!
And just like with their health care plan, they plan to throw even more people in jail!
Tyrants just love them some jail.
ACTA: Internet Users Guilty Until Proven Innocent
SECRECY:
What's particularly disturbing about this is the degree to which the administration has tried to keep negotiations secret. They did invite 42 people to review and comment on the document, subject to very strict nondisclosure agreements so they couldn't talk about what they had seen. Of those 42 people, 40 of them represent large corporate entities and 2 represent public interest groups.ACCOUNTABILITY:
In addition to having no transparency, we'll also have no accountability because ACTA is designed as an executive agreement instead of a treaty, which means that it doesn't require congressional approval.MOTIVATION:
Based on what we've been able to piece together, the internet provisions have nothing to do with addressing counterfeit products, but are instead a reflection of entertainment and content industry demands for stricter copyright laws that would apply to the internet on a global scale. This is blatant Corporatism that could cost us our internet and our privacy.
Leaked document says EU fears Obama backs 'three strikes' for Net pirates
Controversy over the secret global agreement on copyrights and counterfeiting being pushed by the United States erupted Monday after a leaked European Union document emerged suggesting the U.S. is pushing other nations to adopt a draconian global uniform policy. If established, the treaty could involve re-writing the law in many countries -- including the U.S. -- to include a "three strikes" policy similar to one recently passed in France, as well as possibly even jail time -- yes, jail time -- for Internet pirates.
President Barack Obama used an executive order last spring to keep the negotiations secret on "national security" grounds, but for the last several weeks, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, as it's called, has elicited growing cries of alarm.
The leaked document is dated Oct. 29 and was published two weeks ago at linksaktiv.de, the website of a left-of-center German political party, says Michael Geist, a law professor who has been closely monitoring the issue at the University of Ottawa, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law. "I don't even think they knew what they had," he says.
"This document provides evidence of an attempt by the United States to drive countries toward a three-strikes policy, and it would also dramatically change U.S. law," Geist told DailyFinance.
More ACTA Leaks; Still Looking Really Bad
Yet again, despite all the secrecy and bogus claims of "national security," the details behind what's being proposed in ACTA have leaked, and they don't look good at all. It's basically an attempt to force the worst of the DMCA on much of the rest of the world, with a few carefully chosen modifications. While there are lots of issues, it's worth noting the most basic of all, found in the first paragraph that contains the "general obligations" of participating countries. As Michael Geist details:
These focus on "effective enforcement procedures" with expeditious remedies that deter further infringement. The wording is similar to TRIPs Article 41, however, the EU notes that unlike the international treaty provisions, there is no statement that procedures shall be fair, equitable, and/or proportionate. In other words, it seeks to remove some of the balance in the earlier treaties.
ACTA: Will Corporate-Run US Government Destroy the Internet?
The internet is under attack by our very own US Government, working on behalf of corporate interests in the entertainment and content industries. What does this mean for you?
1. You can be banned from the internet, fined and even jailed if a copyright holder ACCUSES you of wrongdoing three times. Whether you violated their copyright or not.
2. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will be forced to invest heavily in intrusive monitoring infrastructure. Guess who'll end up covering those costs?
3. Once intrusive monitoring infrastructure (such as deep packet inspection) is in place, say goodbye to your privacy! To avoid liability, ISPs will need to monitor every packet of data that is transmitted or stored on their network to make sure it doesn't contain copyrighted materials. This means they'll see your emails, your facebook messages, which sites you visit on the internet, and what you do on those sites.
4. The government rewards their pet corporations for being lazy and refusing to adapt and innovate.
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