STOP ACTA NOW

ACTA IS BACK AND SO ARE WE
old project: http://partyvan.info/wiki/Project_Skynet
old ACTA operations:
Project IFM http://www.partyvan.info/wiki/Project_IFM
Operation: Didgeridie (graphic) http://partyvan.info/wiki/Operation_Didgeridie
Operation CyberDyne Solutions http://www.partyvan.info/wiki/CyberDyne_Solutions
Now it's time for #opblackout
irc.anonops.li(6697) #opblackout
Planning: http://piratepad.nl/zDXPdfBG7C

What is ACTA?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement
http://www.laquadrature.net/files/LaQuadratureduNet-20100124_Policy_Brief-Shedding_the_Light_on_ACTA.pdf (pdf)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=citzRjwk-sQ
The final agreement (pdf): http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/assets/pdfs/acta-crc_apr15-2011_eng.pdf

Most countries negotiating ACTA have already signed it, and the EU Member States have also recently signed ACTA.
But   ACTA still needs to be presented to the European Parliament (EP)  and   if the European Parliament votes NO to ACTA and rejects it, this will   likely deal a fatal blow to the treaty.

What can I do?
Contact the European Parliament, let them know how you think about ACTA (or just spam the shit out of them)
The International Trade (INTA) Committee of the European Parliament is the main committee working on ACTA.
Contact the INTA: https://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/MEPs_INTA
Fax flood the INTA: http://pastebay.com/304000
The  Legal Affairs (JURI) and Development (DEVE) committees, as well as  the  Civil Liberties (LIBE), Industry (ITRE) committees are also working  on  the subject.
Contact the JURI: https://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/MEPs_JURI
Contact the DEVE: https://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/MEPs_DEVE
Contact the LIBE: https://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/MEPs_LIBE
Contact the ITRE: https://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/MEPs_ITRE
You can use this file http://www.laquadrature.net/files/LaQuadratureduNet-20100124_Policy_Brief-Shedding_the_Light_on_ACTA.pdf to send or use it to convince them.
Spread the word about ACTA, just like we did with SOPA. Inform yourself and spread that knowledge. You can use the information provided here
Spread this flyer! http://www.scribd.com/doc/73211990/Operation-Blackout
http://dai.ly/eWS63t
https://www.eff.org/issues/acta
http://www.laquadrature.net/files/LaQuadratureduNet-20100124_Policy_Brief-Shedding_the_Light_on_ACTA.pdf
Contact Polish deputies and urge them to stop ACTA. Instructions: http://pastebin.com/4uakeKaX (English) and http://pastebin.com/QZSkmvnN (Polish)
More ways to take action: https://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Attack_ACTA
If you have any other ideas about how to fight back, you can put it in the planning pad (http://piratepad.nl/zDXPdfBG7C )

Some facts about ACTA:
It stands above the law.
Developing countries are intentionally left out of the negotiations, which are held in secret. EFF and Public Knowledge filed a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request, and it was denied. The draft has been leaked multiple times.

ACTA is worse than SOPA, while SOPA recieves more attention. It goes further than blocking websites; they will put the internet under surveillance. ISPs will be responsible for the action of their customers, so they are forced to watch them, possibly by using DPI (Deep Packet Inspection)

ACTA will not only harm the free flow of information, but also healthcare, trade and even tourism.

ACTA is open for signature until March 23, 2013

Which countries are likely to sign ACTA?
European member states (JAN 26)
Mexico ("as soon as practicable")
Switzerland ("as soon as practicable")
Austria is in the process of signing. Join #austria to help them

Which countries have signed ACTA so far?
Poland
http://www.demotix.com/news/1013412/polish-government-websites-hacked-protest-over-acta-law
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iwBZDvaf5IXY30arSRAFuXVtE7gQ?docId=c032622ace404a8f90008dda0c26f6a2
http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/84286,Poland-signs-ACTA-agreement-%E2%80%93-LIVE
Ireland
United States
Australia
Canada
Japan
New Zealand
South Korea
Singapore
Morocco
The following countries have signed as well, but need approval from the European Parliament
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxemburg
Malta
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom
_______________________________________________________________________________
BurnedFlagz Notes:
 ACTA: Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement
proposed plurilateral agreement
Opponents have argued that the treaty will restrict fundamental civil and digital rights, including the freedom of expression and communication privacy.

Opponents also criticize ACTA's removal of "legal safeguards that protect Internet Service Providers from liability for the actions of their subscribers" in effect giving ISPs no option but to comply with privacy invasions.[9] According to an analysis by the Free Software Foundation, ACTA would require that existing ISPs no longer host free software that can access copyrighted media, and DRM-protected media would not be legally playable with free or open source software.

Canada, the European Union and Switzerland joined the preliminary talks throughout 2006 and 2007. Official negotiations began in June 2008, with Australia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and Singapore joining the talks. Apart from the participating governments, an advisory committee of large US-based multinational corporations was consulted on the content of the draft treaty, including the International Intellectual Property Alliance, (which includes the Business Software Alliance, Motion Picture Association of America, and Recording Industry Association of America) and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

The treaty calls for the creation of an "ACTA committee" to make amendments, for which public or judicial review are not required.

A 2009 Freedom of Information request showed that the following companies also received copies of the draft under a nondisclosure agreement: Google, eBay, Intel, Dell, News Corporation, Sony Pictures, Time Warner, and Verizon.

European Parliament reportedly has the final decision over whether the treaty is dismissed or enacted.
Newspapers reported that the draft agreement would empower security officials at airports and other international borders to conduct random ex officio searches of laptops, MP3 players, and cellular phones for illegally downloaded or "ripped" music and movies. Travellers with infringing content would be subject to a fine and may have their devices confiscated or destroyed

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) opposes ACTA, calling for more public spotlight on the proposed treaty. Since May 2008 discussion papers and other documents relating to the negotiation of ACTA have been uploaded to Wikileaks, and newspaper reports about the secret negotiations swiftly followed
In June 2008, Canadian academic Michael Geist, writing for Copyright News, argued that "Government Should Lift Veil on ACTA Secrecy", noting that before documents leaked on the Internet, ACTA was shrouded in secrecy. Coverage of the documents by the Toronto Star "sparked widespread opposition as Canadians worry about the prospect of a trade deal that could lead to invasive searches of personal computers and increased surveillance of online activities." Geist argued that public disclosure of the draft ACTA treaty "might put an end to fears about iPod searching border guards" and that it "could focus attention on other key concerns including greater Internet service provider filtering of content, heightened liability for websites that link to allegedly infringing content, and diminished privacy for Internet users." Geist also argued that greater transparency would lead to a more inclusive process, highlighting that the ACTA negotiations have excluded both civil society groups as well as developing countries. Geist reported that "reports suggest that trade negotiators have been required to sign non-disclosure agreements for fear of word of the treaty's provisions leaking to the public." He argued that there is a need for "cooperation from all stakeholders to battle counterfeiting concerns" and that "an effective strategy requires broader participation and regular mechanisms for feedback".

In November 2008, the European Commission responded to these allegations as follows:
It is alleged that the negotiations are undertaken under a veil of secrecy. This is not correct. For reasons of efficiency, it is only natural that intergovernmental negotiations dealing with issues that have an economic impact, do not take place in public and that negotiators are bound by a certain level of discretion. However, there has never been any intention to hide the fact that negotiations took place, or to conceal the ultimate objectives of the negotiations, the positions taken in European Commission Trade 5/6 the negotiations or even details on when and where these negotiations are taking place. The EU and other partners (US, Japan, Canada, etc.) announced their intention to start negotiations of ACTA on 23 October 2007, in well publicised press releases. Since then we have talked about ACTA on dozens of occasions, including at the European Parliament (INTA committee meetings), and in numerous well attended seminars. Commission organised a stakeholders' consultation meeting on 23 June in Brussels, open to all – industry and citizens and attended by more than 100 participants. US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other ACTA partners did the same.

Aaron Shaw, Research Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, argues that "ACTA would create unduly harsh legal standards that do not reflect contemporary principles of democratic government, free market exchange, or civil liberties. Even though the precise terms of ACTA remain undecided, the negotiants' preliminary documents reveal many troubling aspects of the proposed agreement" such as removing "legal safeguards that protect Internet Service Providers from liability for the actions of their subscribers" in effect giving ISPs no option but to comply with privacy invasions. Shaw further says that "[ACTA] would also facilitate privacy violations by trademark and copyright holders against private citizens suspected of infringement activities without any sort of legal due process".
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has published "Speak out against ACTA", stating that the ACTA threatens free software by creating a culture "in which the freedom that is required to produce free software is seen as dangerous and threatening rather than creative, innovative, and exciting."ACTA would also require that existing ISPs no longer host free software that can access copyrighted media; this would substantially affect many sites that offer free software or host software projects such as SourceForge. Specifically, the FSF argues that ACTA will make it more difficult and expensive to distribute free software via file sharing and P2P technologies like BitTorrent, which are currently used to distribute large amounts of free software. The FSF also argues that ACTA will make it harder for users of free operating systems to play non-free media because DRM protected media would not be legally playable with free software.

Both the Bush administration and the Obama administration had rejected requests to make the text of ACTA public, with the White House saying that disclosure would cause "damage to the national security." In 2009, Knowledge Ecology International filed a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request in the United States, but their entire request was denied. The Office of the United States Trade Representative's Freedom of Information office stated the request was withheld for being material "properly classified in the interest of national security."