Conspiracy theorists of the world unite(?):<br><br><pre><a href="http://www.internetsociety.org/tpp" target="_blank">www.internetsociety.org/tpp</a></pre>
<h1>To the negotiating nations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) Agreement</h1>
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<div> <a href="http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/default/files/TPP%20-%20transparency%20statement%28co-signed%29.pdf" target="_blank"><img src="cid:part2.02020103.06080102@eff.org" alt="Download PDF" height="21" width="114"> </a> </div>
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<p>The undersigned organizations would like to
express their concern regarding the procedural
aspects of the negotiations of the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) Agreement – especially, those
relating to transparency and inclusiveness.</p>
<p> Currently in its 15th round, the TPP has
followed a procedural path that, in our view, has
not been sufficiently inclusive and transparent.
The process of negotiations has hitherto followed
the traditional route of involving only
governments and governmental representatives. We
understand this approach to the extent that,
historically, trade-‐related agreements have
always been conducted under a similar,
behind-‐closed-‐doors process. But, this is not
a typical trade agreement; it involves issues that
also extend to the Internet and its platforms –
and, this raises some valid questions regarding
process.</p>
<p> Back in 2005, during the World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis, Heads of
States and government committed to the Tunis
Agenda, which included a section on Internet
Governance. Paragraph 34 of the Tunis Agenda,
described Internet governance as “the development
and application by governments, the private sector
and civil society, in their respective roles, of
shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making
procedures, and programmes that shape the
evolution and use of the Internet”. By accepting
this working definition, Heads of States and
government have subscribed to the fact that all
issues pertaining to the Internet, including those
of public policy, should be detached from
traditional rule making and become part of a new
governance arrangement – one that is based on
cooperation, collaboration and partnership. Under
the Tunis Agenda, Internet governance is to be
conducted through a multistakeholder framework,
where each stakeholder participates, offering
different perspectives. In particular, article 68
of the Tunis Agenda states: “[...] We also
recognize the need for development of public
policy by governments in consultation with all
stakeholders”. We feel that multistakeholder
governance should constitute the foundation and
the basis for all future policy work in the
Internet space.</p>
<p> Internet governance is not a monolithic concept
and should not be considered as such; it is
constantly evolving to include all issues that,
directly or indirectly, affect the Internet and
its technologies. One such issue concerns the
protection of intellectual property rights and the
way they are expressed in the Internet. The recent
debate on SOPA and PIPA in the United States as
well as that of ACTA in the European Union
manifested that discussions on intellectual
property are part of the Internet governance
landscape and they further necessitate a
multistakeholder approach. It is only through an
inclusive process that all interested parties can
effectively engage and provide input on issues
that will, ultimately, have an impact on the way
users experience the Internet and its services.</p>
<p> In fact, various governments have started
upholding multistakeholder participation as their
official Internet governance position. In the
United States, for instance, both Democrats and
Republicans, in both Houses of Congress, have
affirmed the multistakeholder Internet governance
model and have unanimously passed resolutions
making clear that the “consistent and unequivocal
policy of the United States [is] to promote a
global Internet free from government control [and]
to preserve and advance the successful
multistakeholder model that governs the Internet
today”.</p>
<p> In view of the fact that countries, including
the United States, are endorsing multistakeholder
governance as their official position for all
Internet-‐related matters, it only makes sense
for this model to be repeated in this instance. We
therefore urge the negotiators of the TPP to make
this process more transparent and inclusive,
following the multistakeholder model, at least for
those chapters of the agreement pertaining to the
Internet. Allowing all interested parties to
actively participate and provide input during the
negotiations, as called for by the Tunis Agenda,
would give a higher legitimacy to the process and,
would ensure a more informed agreement, bringing
in technical, economic and social perspectives.</p>
<p> Signed</p>
<p> The Internet Society (ISOC)<br>
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)<br>
InternetNZ<br>
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)</p><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 4 December 2012 05:32, Suresh Ramasubramanian <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:suresh@hserus.net" target="_blank">suresh@hserus.net</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="auto"><div>not a bad conspiracy theory, but pretty pedestrian for truthout<br><br>--srs (iPad)</div><div><br>
On 04-Dec-2012, at 7:58, Guru गुरु <<a href="mailto:Guru@ITforChange.net" target="_blank">Guru@ITforChange.net</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite">
<div><br>
<a href="http://truth-out.org/news/item/13082-the-trans-pacific-partnership-what-free-trade-actually-means" target="_blank">http://truth-out.org/news/item/13082-the-trans-pacific-partnership-what-free-trade-actually-means</a><br>
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