Earlier this week, the European Parliament rejected the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a bill similar to SOPA and PIPA (which were rejected in the United States).  ACTA would have made internet service providers responsible for items that were transmitted through their service, creating a situation in which ISP’s would be tempted to collect customer information based on their suspicions of illegal activity.  The lack of legal ramifications for doing so is what makes ACTA prone to abuse by multiple parties.  ACTA was originally created around secrecy, until people in the EU and elsewhere learned the bill and immediately protested.

While we may see a similar bill to ACTA, PIPA, or SOPA in the near future, we are encouraged by the collective effort of those fighting these laws.  By rallying together, these items have been taken off the short-term agendas of certain governmental organizations.  We hope that if and when ACTA clones appear in the future, we can join together once again to discourage lawmakers from passing irresponsible legislation which will limit what freedoms the internet provides.