Leaked proposals show ISPs may have to police the internet

A leaked document, said to be part of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta), proposes to force internet service providers (ISPs) to police the internet.

Peter Hustinx, European data protection supervisor (EDPS) slammed the Acta document in a statement today.

"Intellectual property is important to society and must be protected [but] it should not be placed above individuals' fundamental rights to privacy and data protection," he said.

According to La Quadrature du Net if the leaked US Acta internet chapter proposal is authentic, it confirms its and other civil rights organisations' worst fears.

Jérémie Zimmermann, spokesperson of the Paris-based civil liberties and privacy group said: "This document shows that Acta would impose regulations tailored by US entertainment industries to the internet.

“The civil and criminal sanctions could completely change the balance struck by current European law on internet operators.

“European negotiators must oppose this circumvention of democratic processes aiming at putting the internet under total surveillance by private actors.”

The Acta negotiations currently under way are seeking ways to introduce international agreement on protecting international property rights. But the talks have been kept firmly behind closed doors.

This has caused huge concern among consumer and civil liberties groups around the world.

Because of the implications Acta proposals could mean for UK legislation - including copyright laws and enforcement procedures if these are breached in the digital environment - the Liberal Democrats have demanded Lord Mandelson let MPs know what is being decided.

Mr Zimmerman said the leaked draft document that has been seen appears to originate from the United States Trade Representative. He said the document shows the US would agree to the entertainment corporations' demands.

He went on to say this would profoundly alter the structure of the internet. In order to avoid being liable for the copyright infringements carried on by users, telecoms operators and online service providers would have to develop monitoring practices.

This would effectively lead to the filtering of internet traffic. Also, he said ISPs would be forced to "voluntarily" implement "three strikes" policies; such as those proposed in the UK under the Digital Economy Bill, leading to the restriction of the connection of users suspected of infringing copyright.