When the U.S. Congress caved in to the content industry and eagerly wanted to implement ACTA, the web stood against it and stopped the Congress from doing so. However, governments around the world have been secretively working with content producers for greater online curbs. A new bill called Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is being negotiated by a number of countries now.
The bill includes Pacific rim nations, including USA and Canada. Essentially, TPP aims to greatly empower the content industry by enabling them to surpass the due process and in violation of user’s privacy rights, try to sniff up copyright infringement and act against it.
Essentially, the kind of power that TPP aims to bring to the authorities will also effectively end online freedom of speech. Governments around the world can easily leverage TPP to curb online dissent and silence any opposition to their policies.
Electronic Frontier Foundation’s personnel explain the four chief problems with the bill:
* Three-strikes policies and laws that require Internet intermediaries to terminate their users’ Internet access on repeat allegations of copyright infringement.
* Requirements for Internet intermediaries to filter all Internet communications for potentially copyright-infringing material.
* ISP obligations to block access to websites that allegedly infringe or facilitate copyright infringement.
* Efforts to force intermediaries to disclose the identities of their customers to IP rights holders on an allegation of copyright infringement.
Moreover, the bill will also empower the copyright holders to enforce strict notice-and-takedown strategy which has long been criticized by human rights activists. Such a strategy will be an attempt to sideline any judicial or due process and enforce copyright notices with speed. Without a doubt such a bill, if indeed agreed upon by the Pacific nations, would be the death of a free internet.
Source: EFF
Courtesy: Boing Boing
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