From: Avaaz.org
[mailto:avaaz@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012
4:44 PM
To: kavoulakos@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Thanks for acting on the
biggest threat to the Internet
Dear friends,
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_tech_b/?tta
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_tech_b/?tta
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
Avaaz.org is a 10-million-person global campaign network that works
to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global
decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song"
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Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on
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