(Even the Polish Parliament is up in arms.)
Upwards of 20,000 freedom fighters have taken to the streets across Poland, outraged over their government’s decision to sign the liberty-crushing treaty known as ACTA.
Many other nations, including Japan, United States and – gasp!!! – Canada, already signed the agreement back in September. Talk about flying under the radar. Of course, when passing such anti-people, pro-corporation legislation, it’s best not to inform those who are getting screwed over, lest they make a stink about it.
But it’s not too late yet. While the initial treaty has been signed, it still needs to be ratified within each country’s own legal system.
Here in Canada, for example, Bill C-11 is working it’s way into the law books. This bill would include blocking of websites and, more chilling, allow the revocation of Internet access by anyone deemed to be in violation of copyright infringement. To learn more, check out Professor Michael Geist’s comparison of this bill with the typical anti-piracy arguments put forth by media giant Viacom.
What’s really at stake here has less to do with piracy, since clever coders will ALWAYS find ways to circumvent censorship, and more to do with Internet freedom in general. The net has opened up an entirely new avenue for humankind to unite, share information, and rally behind important issues, enabling a power shift the likes of which has never been seen before.
And there in lies the real threat to the powers that be: if earth’s people actually take control over the planet, it would mean the hundred$ of billion$ currently being pillaged off humankind’s labor will end up being distributed in a far more equitable manner.
This would be bad for the oligarchs, but awesome for the rest of us, which is why it is so very important that draconian laws like ACTA and C-11 get violently crushed under the boots of millions of engaged citizens from around the world.
