To the Editor:
Right now there is a trade agreement being drafted in secret with global implications called the TPP: Trans Pacific Partnership. Despite over 120,000 people having signed the Open Media Say No to Internet Censorship petition governments and lobbying corporations have remained rigid in their refusal to allow any and all public inquiry, input, criticism, or negotiations.
Experts from around the world have openly voiced their concerns that the TPP would allow children to be incarcerated for downloading and entire households permanently barred from future internet usage. Furthermore, breaking digital locks to modify content to make it easier to use for the visually or hearing impaired by converting its format would also be criminalise. It would also force Internet Service Providers, at the customer's expense, to become internet police with the ability to censor content and even make whole websites disappear without warning or legal over-site.
Our access to information can be limited and normal everyday usage of the internet could be criminalized. Furthermore all ISPs would be forced to install costly and invasive surveillance equipment to record and monitor all internet usage in real time. These in turn would increase internet bills to unfathomable levels and would force literally all smaller ISPs out of business as it would be unreasonable to expect them to afford the multimillion dollar equipment. Lastly the TPP is predominantly a US-backed deal that would undermine Canada's national rules despite the very reasonable laws set forth in 2011 governing content creators and consumers. The TPP would undermine all of that and possess US-Backed provisions that would benefit only outdated media conglomerates at the expense of our very own copyright laws.
As a concerned citizen, I am speaking out for a free and open Internet that I believe should be affordable and accessible to everyone.
I encourage each and every Can-adian to learn more about the TPP at OpenMedia.org/Censorship.
Gage Bush, Yorkton, SK.
