Originally posted by
shade184 at
ACTA.Hey all. Sorry to interrupt the flow of the group, but this really needs to be said. At the most minor level, it will affect this group, so I figure that's excuse enough to bring it up. But on a larger scale, what's happening here is so much more dangerous.
You remember how we fought off SOPA the other day? Great work with that. :) But now, something worse has come up. Something that threatens not just the internet, but trading, healthcare, tourism, and many other things. It's called the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), and I think upon seeing what it's about, you'll pardon my language when I say that it's really fucking scary.
Click to view
(edit: I don't know how the link got corrupted - the video isn't supposed to go to Dance Commander. Here, I hope, is the correct link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=citzRjwk-sQ&feature=player_embedded)
I'm in the process of looking for more information, and while I haven't been able to find an explanation of the law in layman's terms, here are some of the things I've managed to dig up.
- ACTA is global. Some people call it the "European SOPA", but that's not the case; it's worldwide and will affect EVERYONE.
- It has been planned in secret by people who have not been voted into power and who do not represent us or our wished.
- It will allow the goverment to monitor and restrict everything that goes on the Internet, even information sent through private channels.
- It will be voted on soon in the European Parliament. With SOPA we had time to act, but this is happening RIGHT NOW.
Here are some links:
How European citizens can act against ACTAThe EFF's page on what it is and what US citizens can doWikipedia's page on it I'll let you know if I find any more info. Please, spread the word. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, this site, tell your friends, anything as long as people hear about it.