Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement will make digital media searchable at border

[Andrew]

Copyright deal could toughen rules governing info on iPods, computers

The deal would create a international regulator that could turn border guards and other public security personnel into copyright police. The security officials would be charged with checking laptops, iPods and even cellular phones for content that "infringes" on copyright laws, such as ripped CDs and movies.

The guards would also be responsible for determining what is infringing content and what is not.

So basically when I cross the border to the US or any G8 country, they can search my media and if they find anything that may be copyright infringed they will keep it and then give me a fine.

It will also put more laws against ISPs to hand over user information.

Governments are secretly researching this law.

If this passes it will make millions of Canadians criminals, and will give the RIAA/MPAA more resources to sue American citizens that they are already sueing. Citizens will have to prove they legally purchased the media/software on their devices whenever they cross the border.

Wikileaks info

It is sad that citizens rely on a whistleblower type website to get information on laws that are about to be changed in countries.

I get a feeling that encryption utilities are going to be in high demand shortly, when border guards are searching through your data for

[Egeides]

Don't worry Andrew. They aren't taking rights away, they are giving new ones (to corporations) ::)

[Andrew]

Oh yeah, and in Finland recently the courts ruled that if you bypass CSS protection in dvds, that is a crime. Even if you legally purchased the material.

Court of Appeal overturned the CSS decision

[Egeides]

This will just hit the guy on the street since the tech-savvy or serious ones will pass the stuff on Internet. So it might just turn like the suing-everyone-at-random strategy: big backlash.

[Hypatia]

Good thing I have no travel plans. I came to the realization a long time ago that I'd go through serious withdrawal if I had to give up 'Net access for more than a day or two. I don't have trade secrets on my hard drive, but I do  value my privacy.

I remember a few years ago, when the Federal government opted to use an American company's software and related computer systems to do the federal census. This company just happened to be owned by a guy named Dick Cheney... and many, many people flooded their MPs with calls informing them that if this was not rescinded, they would refuse to fill out their next census forms, even though it's illegal to refuse. There was no guarantee -- NONE -- that our census information wouldn't be collected and stored by the US government for whatever purposes they pleased.

The feds told us they'd changed their plans... but who can really know for sure? (can you tell I have a really cynical attitude toward government?)

It's pretty much impossible, in my opinion, to track down EVERY single copyright on all the material stored on the average person's computer anyway. It'd be a nightmare on mine, and I don't even download music, videos, or movies.