ACTA & DMCA
You know, it really disgusts me that the ACTA Treaty being negotiated in secret, but greatly discussed on many blogs hasn’t become an issue that’s even mentioned in the mainstream media. All the big media outlets have pretty much ignored the issue. It hasn’t been on the news, or in any major newspapers. Except for the internet…no one’s talking about it.
Looks like there’s also a provision to allow ISPs to filter for “pirated” material.
ISP filtering of “pirated” material is a controversial measure that would be tough to push through a national legislature in the US, EU, Japan, Korea, or Canada, what with all those pesky “voters” with their concerns about privacy, fair use, and false positives. But sneaking the provision into a trade agreement? Much easier.
Michael Geist also points to three great posts on the topic as well.
This is scary shit. Imagine having to surrender your laptop, ipod, PDA and any USB Keys you are carrying so that they can be searched by a border guard for “infringing content”. A border guard will have to be given access to all of your files, whenever you cross a border with a participating Nation.
There’s more to it, but that’s one thing that really freaks me out. The fact that I will have to give a total stranger control of my computer and all my files, until they are satisfied that I don’t have any “illegal content”. The thought of someone going through my computer makes me very uncomfortable.
Privacy is a luxury our governments don’t seem to want us to have anymore. All in the name of cozying up to Copyright advocates who believe that if copyright is a good thing, then more copyright and more protection for copyright is even better.
And the fact that no one outside the internet is talking about this, is even more frightening.
In other news, the Canadian DMCA may not be tabled today. Michael Geist suggests that
Prentice has treated the copyright file primarily as a communications issue rather than as a policy one. From the moment of his appointment as the Minister of Industry, his instructions from the Prime Minister have been clear - introduce a copyright bill and make sure that the U.S. is happy with it. With that, the concerns of many Canadian stakeholders have taken a backseat to satisfying the demands of his two bosses (PMO and USA).
Over the past two weeks, the plans for introducing the bill have continuously changed. Sources say the initial plan was to get it out immediately after the Victoria Day weekend, press for the completion of second reading before the summer break, and then conduct summer hearings. Now it may be just to get it out, or to wait until next week and do a dump and dash - introduce the Canadian DMCA and make a quick exit to Asia for the OECD meeting.
I’ve been checking my news feeds regularly today to see if the bill has been introduced, but so far…nothing. Maybe the whole dump and dash suggestion that Geist makes is becoming the actual plan for this government: table the bill, break for the summer, and hope the outrage fades over the break.
