A few quick things you can do against ACTA

[unjapanologist]

We know the story by now, I suppose? ACTA is bad, but the European Parliament still needs to approve it, and there is a real chance they can be convinced not to do so if the people they represent make enough noise. Stop ACTA has summaries of and links to everything that's relevant. Here are some of the actions they recommend, in order of how much time they take to complete:

• Signing these petitions:

Avaaz.org
AccessNow.org

• Sending a message to all your country's representatives in one go using this form.

• Checking the stance of your country's individual representatives on ACTA on this handy site and then using the contact info provided to call or mail the ones who still need to be convinced to vote against.

• Taking part in one of the many local actions against ACTA that will take place on February 11 and the surrounding days.

Please consider doing one or more of these, I've been following this ACTA nonsense for a couple of years and it's only barely less noxious now than it was in the beginning. Those who claim that all the bad things in the treaty have been ironed out by now are either uninformed or lying. The European Parliament is hardly perfect, but they actually have managed to vote against similar anti-internet and anti-consumer nonsense in the past, and there's good hope that they can do so again.

I sent a personal mail to all the Belgian MPs (including the far right ones *grimace*) and a thank-you note to the two who had already come out against ACTA. Fingers crossed.

ETA: Three! Got a reply from an MP listed as 'stance unknown' that he won't support the treaty as it is. Come on, come on...

ETA 2: Four!

Comments

[the24thkey]

I just sent a message to my MP - he's already stated that he supports ACTA, but he also said that he could be convinced otherwise if presented with valid criticism...No answer from him yet, but who knows, he might still change his mind.

I was happy to read that you've had better luck. :) As you said, fingers crossed.

PS: added you to my dreamwidth circle, apparently I only added you on lj so far.

[unjapanologist]

You never know! My MP was an ACTA opponent already (I knew there was a reason I voted for him), but I do hope that others could also be convinced if they hear from enough of their countryfolk. One of the guys who replied to me saying he's decided to oppose ACTA is actually someone from the extreme right party that I rather profoundly despise and was expecting nothing useful of. Not that I've changed my mind about despising the party, but I was pretty surprised.

[the24thkey]

Well, my MP hasn't replied yet, but the German ambassador to Japan, who was supposed to sign the treaty today, was told not to do so in the last minute by our government! Yay! :D Hopefully tomorrow's protests will help to ensure that this decision won't be reversed again.

[angrymermaids]

I've signed the petitions, still feel powerless against it, especially as an American. But hey, Europeans helped us defeat SOPA/PIPA, the least we can do is return the favor in any way we can! Here's to a free internet! :)

[unjapanologist]

Thanks! I wish people would have gotten riled up about it earlier so that we'd have been in time to stop ACTA in countries like the US too, back in October. The SOPA/PIPA trainwreck woke up the internets, apparently.

[paceus]

I signed the petitions. Thanks for posting this.

[unjapanologist]

Thanks for signing!