Tech companies lining by hundreds to oppose TPP

[madfloridian]

Crossposted in the Bernie Sanders forum.

Letter signed by more than 250 companies demands greater transparency and says ‘dangerously vague’ language would criminalise whistleblowers

More than 250 tech companies have signed a letter demanding greater transparency from Congress and decrying the broad regulatory language in leaked parts of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade bill.

The TPP would create an environment hostile to journalists and whistleblowers, said policy directors for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Fight for the Future, co-authors of the letter. “TPP’s trade secrets provisions could make it a crime for people to reveal corporate wrongdoing ‘through a computer system’,” says the letter. “The language is dangerously vague, and enables signatory countries to enact rules that would ban reporting on timely, critical issues affecting the public.”

...There was a notable absence from the letter of big, international tech companies like Apple, Google and Facebook. Apple and AT&T are part of the president’s International Trade Advisory Committee (which advises the Oval Office on matters relating to industry) and their representatives have presumably been able to read sections of the bill that would apply to their industry.

The letter’s signatories also criticized the fast-track bill – known as the Trade Promotion Authority – which is being discussed in Congress this week. If passed, the TPA would give Obama a yes or no vote on the trade pact without the ability for legislators to amend it. The fast-track bill needs to be passed to even give the TPP a shot at approval.

And they express concern for keeping the internet open and accessible.

“The future of the internet is simply too important to be decided behind closed doors,” said Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future. “The Fast Track/Trade Promotion Authority process actively silences the voices of internet users, startups, and small tech companies while giving the biggest players even more power to set policy that benefits a few select companies while undermining the health of the entire web.”

It's okay for the big guys with money to read the parts that will affect them. It's not okay for the rest of us to learn what parts will harm us.

In my mind there can be no "fence-sitting" or "maybe I will talk about it later", or wavering. I think Bernie Sanders was right about that.

[djean111]

1. So - do they hate Obama, or are they delusional left fringe loonies, or are they deliberately

trying to embarrass any politicians who have endorsed the TPP or what?

And, yes, be nice to read the whole thing before it gets set in stone, you know, with all the ponies and rainbows and free ice cream in it, wouldn't you think? Wouldn't that be an ordinary-citizen-pleaser, releasing the full text, maybe giving some kudoes to ALL of the politicians and people who worked on it?

[merrily]

3. It's already set in stone and rainbows are pretty much unenforceable.

Remember this, from another context?

Iran schools GOP Senators on International Law

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/09/tom-cotton-zarif-letter_n_6835538.html

[merrily]

4. It's already set in stone and rainbows are pretty much unenforceable.

Remember this, from another context?

Iran schools GOP Senators on International Law

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/09/tom-cotton-zarif-letter_n_6835538.html

[merrily]

2. The TPP helps big internet companies, but hurts small ones.

Gee, who could have seen that coming?

[sabrina 1]

5. If only the people mattered. If they did, we would not even be talking about the TPP

because there would be no such thing as 'secret' trade deals hidden even from Congress for years.

No, there cannot be any fence sitting on this. This is opposed by a majority of the American people.

Either you represent THEM or you represent your Corporate Donors.