The laws that govern your digital rights are being rewritten in secrecy by trade representatives from countries around the world. 
It’s known as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), or more commonly referred to as the “secret copyright agreement”.
The unusual obscurity surrounding these negotiations has many worried that corporate interests are taking a front seat over what should be an open and transparent process.
It began in 2006 when the US submitted a draft proposal to Canada and now has spread around the world with several rounds of meetings being held in different cities. The most recent round of meetings were held in Guadalajara, Mexico.
There are few official statements being released about the ACTA. Much of what we know has been pieced together from vague official statements and leaked documents.
An unsettling picture is emerging, one where the US along with a coalition of countries, are seeking to create tighter more uniform restrictions on digital data.
There are groups of notable organizations and concerned individuals who are dedicating much of their time to analyzing and investigating the implications of the ACTA.
The following is a list of some of the best sources for ACTA related information.
Michael Geist
Micheal Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, has been actively curating and piecing together one of the largest online sources for ACTA related news.
He has created a five part guide to help people understand the implications of the ACTA.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a nonprofit digital rights advocacy group.
The EFF has assembled an ACTA portal that aggregates news, documents and files, along with their posts on the ACTA.
US residents can contact their Senators using the EFF’s standardized comment form.
Knowledge Ecology International
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) is a not for profit non governmental organization that searches for better outcomes, including new solutions, to the management of knowledge resources.
KEI has created a timeline of news and publications related to the ACTA. You can quickly get a snapshot of the most important moments in the ACTA’s history through this site.
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