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THE POLISH GOVERNMENT is to meet this afternoon to discuss its position on an new international anti-counterfeiting agreement, after a number of government websites were taken down in co-ordinated attacks.
The attacks – from Anonymous and a group called ‘Poland Underground’ – took down a number of websites, including those of the government and the parliament, in protest at Poland’s planned adoption of the ACTA deal.
ACTA – the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement – is a proposed deal which aims to tackle “the increase in global trade of coutnerfeit goods and pirated copyright protection works”.
Its scope includes the sharing of copyrighted material on the internet – prompting some fears that it could infringe upon digital privacy and result in actions similar to the proposed SOPA legislation currently making its way through the US congress.
The AP reports that Poland was due to sign up to the deal on Thursday, but may not now do so after the websites were attacked – apparently in frustration at how the Polish government had not consulted with the public before doing so.
The website of the prime minister Donald Tusk was replaced with a banner reading, ‘Hacked by the Polish Underground: Stop ACTA’, while Anonymous claimed responsibility for downing the websites of the police force, the government protection bureau, the finance ministry, the defence ministry and the parliament.
The Polish government had originally blamed the outage of its sites on heavy traffic, but later acknowledged that Tusk’s website had been defaced. They had pledged to have the websites back online by this evening.
Anonymous says it has now called a ‘ceasefire’ depending on the outcome of the cabinet discussions, but claims that it has “leaked documentations on many Poland officials” which it will release if ACTA is formally adopted.
Polskie Radio reports that the Polish version of Wikipedia was considering a blackout, similar to that adopted by English Wikipedia in protest at SOPA last week, in protest at the planned adoption of ACTA.
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Does anyone know what is Irish position on ACTA?
We have put a query in to the Department of Justice. We’ll let you know when we have a reply.
You’re assuming anyone in Government has the vaguest clue what ACTA actually means.
Meaning, they’ll vote for it if it doesn’t increase the price of spuds or put them on Liveline.
I hope Irish hackers are ready for a fight… I do not understand why Irish, or Polish or whatewer governments should protect foreighn ACTA? Spying over Irish people and turning off our human rights for information. I think 97% of pirated stuff copyright owners are Americans. So Irish copyright holders ar not much affected
Prime Minister Tusk’s login was: Admin Password: Admin1
Gavan, you could also mention, that Eu parliament has already rejected ACTA(twice)-a bill that has been “assembled” since 2007. There was never a public insight into it, it was made to order(crafted as anti-piracy) but contains wide-open doors for censorship etc. The chair of EU Parliament mr Jerzy Buzek(former Polish PM – in one of most corrupted governments in history of state) allowed (3rd try by big businness) to review ACTA at ” expert level” therefore excluding bill from daily MEP’s deliberations-avoiding any public glimps into that bill and allowing it to be passed by gathering of foreign ministers-once they got authorization from their PM’s. All of that going behind closed doors. Until just a day ago s.!t hit the fan.
I really hope ACTA is rejected. I am a teenager and hence spend nearly all of my free time on the Internet so this would impact me hugely. I understand their concern on copyright etc (may I mention, I am totally against illegal downloading of music etc and I never have done so) but SOPA, PIPA, ACTA are simply not the way forward. Take the time to watch this; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8Xg_C2YmG0 It explains why ACTA should not be agreed.
Under cover of anti-piracy, ACTA would break the free Internet and turn it into just another commercial channel, with opportunities for expression and publication plus access to information being reduced virtually to zero. It is the international equivalent of SOPA and PIPA.
As far as I know, the Irish government has plans not to legislate but simply to issue ministerial orders implementing most of its provisions and measures such as ISPs cutting off Internet access to specific sites or barring users of certain sites from any Internet access. Big sledge hammers being used to protect narrow commercial interests at the expense of rights and freedoms — same old same old.
Let’s hope we have the Anonymous resistance warriors In this country too.
Thats the thing about this ‘pirate community’.
Anyone thats in it, won’t let it go too easily.
WHO CARES ABOUT LIL POOLAND, ANYWAY?!
We do you selfish f***cktard.
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