ACTA- a reality!

In Swedish “akta” means beware. That is really what we have to do right now in these times of “over the state” negotiations done by huge multinational companies together with negotiators from EC and the US under strict confidentiality.

If you need more neutral information about it read here (link to Wikipedia), before you proceed. I you remember it Wikipedia did have a black out the 18^th of January to show what might happen if ACTA and SOPA becomes a reality, but that should not affect the article because there everything have to be neutral written. On Wikipedia one user has made a list of everything he could find about ACTA in both Swedish and English, both neutral and NPOV. That list for even more information is here.

The purpose of the ACTA seems to be good-to stop copies of programs and music that is not bought, so called pirate copies. Why is this ACTA then such a bad thing?.

1 You might loose your internet connection without a court decision, if a company thinks you have illegal stuff on your computer. Then it is up to you to prove they are wrong.

2 This might happen with internet companies too, if they have servers. They might be stopped even if it is not they who uploaded it to the server. Just look what happened to Megaupload. They had some illegal programs (according to FBI). The owner was put in jail and the servers where closed. Now the companies who started this wants to erase everything on the servers without people being able to get their own private things back (that might be private movies and photos from vacations), this even if the domstol isn't ready yet. Why do they want to erase evidence? Maybe there were not as much illegal stuff as they thought? No matter what- They are stealing from the up-loaders!

3 The costums will be able to control all computers and USB-sticks while you travel abroad. This means they might use it for industrial espionage (something that the US would like to do, I'm sure), but it will also be a humiliation for us ordinary people.

4 If you own equipment that might be used for piracy copying the police will be obligated to confiscate it. WHAT? Every computer now a days have R/W DVD-players (DVD-plyers able to copy files). If that part becomes true I don't know what will happen!!!

The list could be even longer, but I stop there to get on with the real story about ACTA.

Sweden has signed ACTA, that we are willing to use it when it is ready. That was done in Japan by our ambassador, Lars Vargö, educated in Japanese and orient history, but nothing about computers. As DN writes (Swedish link) some of the Swedish politicians, like Christian Engström, sitting in the EU did not know anything about the signing! They who are meant to take decision! That is pretty scary.

Those who have written the ACTA are companies, not states!

On Saturday 4^th of February at 12:00 there will be a demonstration aganist ACTA at Sergels torg in Stockholm. When I looked at the event in facebook there were  9 400 person saying they will come, and rising. Hopefully this will show the parliament of Sweden what the people thinks about it.