US Congressman Posts ACTA For Open Debate

A conservative United States congressional representative has posted the text of the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to the internet and is calling for public comments out of the fear that the agreement will harm the open internet.

The website, keepthewebopen.com, created by California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, is already collecting a numerous comments, but with the agreement already signed by the US and others, it remains to be seen if it is too late for change.

Issa warns that ACTA is more problematic than the SOPA/PIPA bills recently dashed in Congress by public outcry (IPW, Access to Knowledge, 20 January 2012). Members of Congress and the public were given restricted roles in the negotiation of ACTA, which took place in secrecy over the past couple of years.

Separately, outside the ACTA realm, Issa is a political player in Washington who had a recent high-profile run-in related to restricting free speech on a different issue.