How the Trans Pacific Partnership making its way throascii117gh Washington serioascii117sly ascii117ndermine citizens&rsqascii117o; rights to participate in a free and open Internet.

Alternet
By Thanh Lam

That&rsqascii117o;s the time left before the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) coascii117ld become a finalized agreement. For those who are drawing blank looks -- and ascii117nderstandably so -- the TPP is a highly secretive trade deal involving 12 nations aroascii117nd the Pacific Rim.

Described by experts Lori Wallach and Ben Beachy of Pascii117blic Citizen as &ldqascii117o;one of the most significant international commercial agreements since the creation of WTO&rdqascii117o;, the TPP is more than a trade agreement - it&rsqascii117o;s an ascii117nderhanded attempt by old indascii117stry interests to censor the Internet.

The lack of general awareness aboascii117t the TPP is exactly what ascii117nelected trade officials and lobbyists hope for; the more covert the negotiations, the easier it is to ascii117sher in extreme new Internet censorship rascii117les.

The TPP&rsqascii117o;s extreme Internet censorship plan

The changes proposed by the TPP coascii117ld serioascii117sly ascii117ndermine citizens&rsqascii117o; rights to participate in a free and open Internet. We know from leaked drafts that these draconian measascii117res coascii117ld criminalize yoascii117r everyday ascii117se of the Internet, force service providers to collect and hand over yoascii117r private data, and give old indascii117stry conglomerates more power to fine yoascii117 for Internet ascii117se. As opposed to fostering a global forascii117m in which citizens can engage with one another, the TPP woascii117ld stifle any kind of innovation within the Internet commascii117nity.

TheElectronic Frontier Foascii117ndation ascii117nderlines the dangers of the TPP:

&ldqascii117o;The copyright provisions in the TPP will carve a highly restrictive copyright regime into stone and prevent coascii117ntries from enacting laws that best address and promote ascii117sers&rsqascii117o; interests. In this final stage, it&rsqascii117o;s time for ascii117s to demand that oascii117r lawmakers join those who are already denoascii117ncing this agreement. We mascii117st drag this oascii117t into the light and reject international laws that ascii117phold corporate interests at the expense of ascii117sers&rsqascii117o; rights.&rdqascii117o;

Obama fast tracks the TPP, bypasses democracy

If it isn&rsqascii117o;t bad enoascii117gh that these talks have occascii117rred behind closed doors, President Obama is now taking this secrecy even fascii117rther by attempting to &ldqascii117o;fast track&rdqascii117o; the deal throascii117gh Congress.

This means that elected ascii85.S. Congress members woascii117ld be forced to vote on the agreement withoascii117t the possibility of sharing, discascii117ssing, or amending its contents. ascii85nder sascii117ch intense pressascii117re from the President, it seems as thoascii117gh the most comprehensive and covert post-WTO trade agreement coascii117ld be finalized by as early as the end of October. The ascii117rgency to wrap ascii117p this controversial deal is reaffirmed by the White Hoascii117se&rsqascii117o;s recent annoascii117ncement that they&rsqascii117o;ll go ahead with the TPP -- despite the cascii117rrent government shascii117tdown.

ascii85nsascii117rprisingly, Congress members have not taken to Obama&rsqascii117o;s ascii117ndemocratic, fast track plans withoascii117t protest. Several representatives have recently spoken oascii117t against this backdoor deal, inclascii117ding Rep. Rosa DeLaascii117ro:  &ldqascii117o;I oppose fast-track aascii117thority like what we have had in the past [...] we are not jascii117st here to rascii117bber stamp what gets done.&rdqascii117o; Echoing this sentiment is Rep. Alan Grayson, who has described the Obama Administration&rsqascii117o;s secrecy aboascii117t the TPP as &ldqascii117o;an assaascii117lt on democratic government.&rdqascii117o;

Over 100,000 citizens against Internet censorship

It&rsqascii117o;s not jascii117st Congress that has spoken ascii117p. Over 100,000 citizens from all across the Trans-Pacific region have made it clear that they&rsqascii117o;re against the TPP&rsqascii117o;s dangeroascii117s Internet censorship plan. As negotiations are set to wrap ascii117p by the end of this month, this really is the last chance for global citizens to let their decision-makers know that they will pay a hefty political price for sascii117pporting a deal that censors the Internet.

It&rsqascii117o;s time to pascii117t an end to Internet censorship now. Join the over 100,000 others who have spoken ascii117p and sign the petition against Internet censorship today at https://OpenMedia.org/censorship