Yesterday, legislation was introduced in the US Senate that would enable Congress to fast-track approval of secret trade agreements by Republican Orrin Hatch and Democrat Ron Wyden. The timing is important because the President is currently pushing for the approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an agreement negotiated in secret meetings with international lawmakers that has serious ramifications for a host of important issues, Internet privacy and intellectual property among them.
We are worried that Congress’ and the public’s ability to review, discuss, and debate proposed agreements would be significantly limited by this bill. It would also force Congress to have a strict yes/no vote on the presented agreement, with no ability to make amendments beforehand.
The impacts of these agreements and the international rules that they impose upon citizens and Internet users across the globe are too sweeping to be coordinated behind closed doors and then presented in a short window for a straight up and down vote.
There is still time for concerned individuals and organizations to resist this push, as we did with SOPA, PIPA, and the threat to net neutrality.
For more information and organized ways to take action, see the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s write-up and the Internet Vote campaign.
“OP Stop the TPP” on FB is also sharing ALOT of information and ways to fight against this, including, but not limited to, petitions.
Internet privacy is a right to the common man, because it is the world wide web, you don’t see us common men coming and disturbing your private meetings. So why are you creating a bill to reduce our methods to talk to each other on a PUBLIC forum. The bill makes no sense and also is a very bureaucratic approach.
This Country has been taken over by the “Pen”. I has been allowed to issue Executive Orders with such frequency with out even a challenge from Congress. Now, not even Freedom of Information is not allowed by this Administration. The peoples White House has been taken over and it does not belong to the American Public. The Man who is the representative of the American People has shut out any information to keep hidden a secret agenda to be passed and give out rights away even more. The whole ten square miles is a total sell out to Big Corporations and Foreign interests in the name of Globalization making rules to force Americans to pay if an outsider cannot make profits due to bad weather, economic troubles or Distribution hang ups and so forth. Enough with the scalping of the public. If it is so secret, then you can bet Americans will be the ones picking up the tab. We always do!