disinfo.com

January 30, 2012

Anonymous exposes the nefarious goals of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Thanks to Chris Neitzert for the tip.

“Greetings, world. We are Anonymous.

We are here to reveal to you an arcane legal trick, which will be used to take away your freedom starting in June 2012.

Your governments have been secretly negotiating the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement or ACTA as it is known.

The title is misleading.

The true goal of ACTA is to crush the internet, as we know it, and to take away your freedom.

We and other good people of this Earth have been pointing out a major problem with ACTA. The text of the agreement is extremely vague and can be interpreted in many ways. If read one way, ACTA does not endanger your freedom. If read another way, ACTA is the worst thing that has ever happened and will be used to take away your freedom and to crush the internet as we know it.

Supporters of ACTA are saying that each country, which ratifies ACTA, will choose their own interpretation. This is the biggest lie ever told.

Just like any other international agreement ACTA must be interpreted according to the Vienna Convention of 1969.

Article 32 of the Vienna Convention says that if any part of a treaty is ambiguous it must be interpreted based on documents produced during the drafting and negotiations phase of the agreement. For Acta these documents are classified and have never been made available to the public through official sources. Such secrecy has never surrounded any other global treaty in modern times.

In essence the true meaning of ACTA is being kept secret even from the governments who sign it.

Our friends at Wikileaks have obtained a small portion of these secret documents and their content is chilling. When all major governments of the world have signed and ratified ACTA, the secret documents will be gradually made public and the true meaning of ACTA will be revealed to the nations of the world.

Article 27 of the Vienna Convention says that all international treaties take precedence over any internal laws. The secret parts of ACTA will take precedence over any national laws. Governments will have no choice. Citizens will have no choice. The internet, as we know it, will end.

The last major obstacle in ACTA’s path is the European Parliament. In June 2012 the European Parliament will have its final vote on ACTA. If they vote to ratify ACTA, the world, as we know it, will end. Your freedoms will gradually disappear. Your internet will be gradually turned into a controlled, censored channel where you can only view content produced by a handful of companies.

ACTA is a declaration of war against every man, woman, and child on this planet.

If you are a politician, and you defend ACTA, you are guilty of treason of the highest degree and we will deal with you as such.

We will defeat ACTA.
We will not be silenced.
We will take to the streets.
We will take back our governments.
We are Anonymous.
We are legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
Expect us.”