<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
Thought you all might find this interesting. Secret negotiations to
regulate the Internet.<br>
<br>
<br>
<p> This week in Dallas, trade representatives are secretly
negotiating new regulations for the Internet – including
intellectual property provisions that could <strong>choke off
online speech</strong>. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
Agreement may be even worse than ACTA; it could tie the hands of
democratically-elected legislators and create new, international
standards for intellectual property enforcement. Worst of all,
Internet users and free expression advocates like EFF aren’t
allowed in the room and are forbidden from seeing the negotiated
text.</p>
<p> <strong><a
href="https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8229">Click
here</a> to join EFF in demanding a Congressional hearing so
lawmakers can learn what’s in the TPP and hear from all affected
stakeholders, not just deep-pocketed industry representatives.</strong></p>
<p> U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk claims they have made
“extraordinary efforts” to include public stakeholders in
negotiations, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Like
ACTA, negotiations have actively excluded civil society and the
public, while welcoming private industry representatives with open
arms.</p>
<p> EFF’s International IP Director Gwen Hinze traveled to Dallas to
demand transparency, but <strong>she wasn’t allowed to see the
draft text or be present for the negotiations</strong>. Here's
how Gwen described the tactics the USTR is using to shut Internet
users out from the negotiations:</p>
<blockquote>
<p> Unlike previous negotiation rounds, there will be no official
forum for stakeholders to present their views to the assembled
TPP country negotiators. Instead, stakeholders are being asked
to register their interest in sponsoring a table to provide
negotiators who might so happen to stroll past with information
on particular topics.</p>
</blockquote>
<p> The public should be front and center in these negotiations, not
relegated to a table outside.</p>
<p> Join EFF in calling on Congress for more transparency in TPP.
Negotiators can't just shut out the public and their elected
representatives.<br>
<br>
</p>
<br>
</body>
</html>