'Say no to Internet censorship' petition nears 100K signatures
One of the topics at the Trans Pacific Partnership free trade agreement talks is how to better control the Internet. Some people don't like this.
The "Say no to Internet censorship" petition has tallied nearly 100,000 signatures in the past week -- showing that opposition to possible government proposals on stricter Internet laws is growing.
Launched by advocacy organization OpenMedia, the petition calls on world leaders to reject proposed controls on the Internet and protect citizens' rights to Web access.
OpenMedia started its campaign in order to target the leaders of the 12 countries involved in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement talks, which includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Peru, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, and the US.
According to OpenMedia, secret negotiations are taking place at the international talks, which involve creating proposals for heightened Internet policing and stricter copyright laws. OpenMedia says that the proposals could impact users ability to share and collaborate online. The TPP talks are slated to wrap up during this weekend's APEC summit.
"With talks about to conclude, this could be our last chance for citizens and innovators to speak out against the huge damage the TPP will do to free expression online," OpenMedia Executive Director Steve Anderson said in a statement. "Powerful old industry interests are pressuring leaders to agree to costly Internet censorship proposals that could break our digital future. Heads of state should make a commitment to not impose Internet censorship rules through the TPP."