[pp.int.general] Alert: EU Telecom Directive Amendments vote tomorrow (via FFII)

[Amelia Andersdotter]

<http://press.ffii.org/Press_releases/European_Parliament_rushes_towards_Soviet_Internet>

"Benjamin Henrion, FFII representative in Brussels, rings the alarm
bell: "Tomorrow, popular software applications like Skype or even
Firefox might be declared illegal in Europe if they are not certified
by an administrative authority. This is compromising the whole open
development of the internet as we know it today. Once the Soviet Union
required the registration of all typewriters and printing devices with
the authorities."

Privacy expert Ricardo Cristof Remmert-Fontes comments: "In Germany
Deutsche Telekom is under fierce criticism for alleged spying on
citizens and journalists. In Europe the amendments want to make spying
a natural obligation for communications providers. The planned
infrastructure of live-analysis and filtering can be used for
mass-surveillance and censorship."

FFII President Alberto Barrionuevo adds: "The agenda to establish a
Chinese Internet Wall in Europe is set by few ultra-copyright
lobbyists. FFII base many of its ideals on copyright laws, but I don't
agree to justify their intentions to spy all us with the excuse of the
protection of copyright. It sets a precedent for market control:
Regulating large parts of Internet communication, provider contracts,
software development and thus internet businesses. The proposed
environment is threatening all European businesses which need
protection from business espionage, and to be able to use secure
virtual private networks (VPNs) all over the Internet. Are industrial
secrets of our European companies and privacy of our citizens to be
sacrificed just to preserve legacy business models of Hollywood?""

E-mail your country's parliamentarians and ask them to say no:
<http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/expert.do?language=EN> (e-mail
adresses)

/amelia