[All] Fwd: ACTA: The new threat to the net

[Robert Milligan]

FYI
RM

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Dalia Hashad - Avaaz.org" <avaaz at avaaz.org>
> Date: January 27, 2012 2:42:27 PM GMT-05:00
> To: "mill at continuum.org" <mill at continuum.org>
> Subject: ACTA: The new threat to the net
>
> Dear friends,
>
>
>
> A new global treaty could allow corporations to police everything  
> that we do on the Internet. Last week 3 million of us successfully  
> pushed back the US censorship bills -- if we act now, we can get the  
> EU Parliament to bury this new threat to all of us:
>
>
> Last week, 3 million of us beat back America's attack on our  
> Internet! -- but there is an even bigger threat out there, and our  
> global movement for freedom online is perfectly poised to kill it  
> for good.
>
> 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.
>
> Europe is deciding right now whether to sign ACTA -- and without  
> them, this global attack on Internet freedom will collapse. We know  
> they have opposed ACTA before, but some members of Parliament are  
> wavering -- let's give them the push they need to reject the treaty.  
> Sign the petition -- we'll do a spectacular delivery in Brussels  
> when we reach 500,000 signatures:
>
> http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_save_the_internet/?vl
>
> It's outrageous -- 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. But if we can  
> get the EU to say no now, the treaty will lose momentum and could  
> stall for good.
>
> 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.
>
> Big corporate interests are pushing hard for this, but the EU  
> Parliament stands in the way. Let's send a loud call to  
> Parliamentarians to face down the lobbies and stand firm for  
> Internet freedom. Sign now and send to everyone you know:
>
> http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_save_the_internet/?vl
>
> Last week, we saw the strength of our collective power when millions  
> of us joined forces to stop the US from passing an Internet  
> censorship law that would have struck at the heart of the Internet.  
> We also showed the world how powerful our voices can be. Let's raise  
> them again to tackle this new threat.
>
> With hope and determination,
>
> Dalia, Alice, Pascal, Emma, Ricken, Maria Paz and the rest of the  
> Avaaz team
>
> More information:
>
> If You Thought SOPA Was Bad, Just Wait Until You Meet ACTA
> http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/01/23/if-you-thought-sopa-was-bad-just-wait-until-you-meet-acta/
>
> ACTA vs. SOPA: Five Reasons ACTA is Scarier Threat to Internet Freedom
> http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/286925/20120124/acta-sopa-reasons-scarier-threat-internet-freedom.htm?cid=2
>
> What's Wrong With ACTA
> http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number10.1/whats-wrong-with-ACTA
>
> The secret treaty: Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and  
> Its Impact on Access to Medicines
> http://www.msfaccess.org/content/secret-treaty-anti-counterfeiting-trade-agreement-acta-and-its-impact-access-medicines
>
>
> Support the Avaaz Community!
> We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from  
> governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the  
> smallest contributions go a long way.		
>
>
>
>
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