Free the Net
The government suggests that there is a risk that the ACTA situation may repeat itself. This time, however, the government is not waiting for demonstrations. It has created a coalition of countries against the blocking of freedom on the internet. The demonstrations against ACTA, which took place in January, taught the government a lesson. It had to change its opinion regarding the regulations restricting the freedom on the internet, when despite the cold weather, crowds of people gathered on the streets. The Polish movement against ACTA influenced the European Parliament, which rejected the ACTA agreement. On Thursday, Michał Boni, the Minister of Administration and Digitization, began consultations regarding the international treaty, which is to be accepted in December by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). According to Boni, “The Polish government is against excessive regulations of the internet, the blocking of websites, and the tracking of web users.”
The treaty covers changes in International Telecommunications Regulations, a supranational agreement. The current document was accepted in 1998 and is outdated. When it comes to telecommunications, a dozen or so years is a whole era. This explains why the idea of an update has come up. Some countries represent the view that internet regulations should be increased. However, according to the Polish government, regulations such as IP address assignment that would identify computers, may restrict freedom of use. It is believed that it will be a difficult task for Poland to convince other countries to vote against regulations that go too far. The ITU consists of over 190 countries, and each of them has its own voice. According to Boni, “We have a choice to accept these regulations either partially or fully, yet after making reservations regarding certain points. And we will not abide by these points.”
Gazeta Wyborcza
