Anonymous Tweets: EU Suspends ACTA Ratification, Hackers Claim Victory

By IBTimes Staff Reporter: Subscribe to IBTimes's

February 22, 2012 2:12 PM GMT

The European Commission (EC), has requested European courts to take up the case of ratification of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), according to a tweet by Anonymous. The EC has requested the court for an opinion on the ACTA and its implementation, which they (the EU) say must be "fully compatible with the freedom of expression and freedom of the Internet".

"The ACTA debate must be based upon facts and not upon the misinformation or rumor that has dominated social media sites and blogs," said EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Guch, in an Associated Press report.

The ACTA is a step in the direction America and Japan have moved and is aimed at curtailing piracy and providing better copyright cover. So far, 22 European nations have jointly agreed on ACTA to protect copyright and decrease piracy.

Protests from the general population fearing Internet censorship covered as many as 200 European cities. The furore was so high, nations from the EU - Germany, Denmark and Netherlands backed off from the treaty.

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Similar instances of public anger have been experienced in America, where the U.S government tried to get a grip on the freedom of the Internet. There has been an effort on the part of many nations to try and look for more control over censorship on the World Wide Web. The Indian government has also been trying to control web freedom, saying it could sour relations between religions and promoted the display of vulgar images.

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