EFF denied access to secret Trans-Pacific Partnership in Dallas

[Marc Perkel]

Thought you all might find this interesting.  Secret negotiations to
regulate the Internet.


This week in Dallas, trade representatives are secretly negotiating new
regulations for the Internet -- including intellectual property
provisions that could *choke off online speech*. 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.

*Click here
<https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8229> 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.*

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.

EFF's International IP Director Gwen Hinze traveled to Dallas to demand
transparency, but *she wasn't allowed to see the draft text or be
present for the negotiations*. Here's how Gwen described the tactics the
USTR is using to shut Internet users out from the negotiations:

    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.

The public should be front and center in these negotiations, not
relegated to a table outside.

Join EFF in calling on Congress for more transparency in TPP.
Negotiators can't just shut out the public and their elected
representatives.


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