ACTA secrecy slammed by EU parliament

The European Union parliament has passed a resolution requiring the European Commission to publish information relating to ACTA talks, which have, until now, been conducted in utmost secrecy. The parliament voted 663 to 13 in favour of a much more open process for the talks, as well as rejecting any calls for Internet disconnection penalties as part of the enforcement process. The ACTA negotiations have drawn almost universal criticism from commentators who see the secrecy surrounding the talks, and the troubling revelations that have surfaced from leaked documents, as part of a wider push by copyright interests to strong arm sweeping new powers for enforcers and heavy new penalties against copyright infringers. The EU parliament has ordered that they be "fully informed at all stages of the negotiations" and that the European Commission provide proof that any agreements reached in ACTA negotiations would not run contrary to current European personal rights laws.