Students react to ACTA

I do not agree with Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). The authorities should instead put their efforts into shutting down child pornography websites. This has been talked about for decades, but even now all I need to do is type ‘child modelling’ into the Google search engine.

As an internet user, this trade agreement can have major effects. As a student and teacher I often stumble on websites with copyrighted material. These websites do wonders for my classroom material and for the research I do. Becky Vella Muscat, BA Linguistics, 2nd year.

I think it’s quite difficult to agree completely with ACTA. I partially agree that there must be some form of control over online material and its accessibility; however, we must also incorporate control with the progress made.

It may be hard to find a compromise between a highly- restrictive treaty and a liberal one but I’m sure it’s possible.

We have already seen some websites that stream movies shutting down and many of us must admit that watching films in bed on your laptop has an appeal of its own.

But, for me, the worse will be with music; we will now be very restricted with what we can download and what not. If ACTA is eventually approved, we will have to get used to it. I think it will feel like going back at least a decade. Kristabell Catania, BA Communications with Classics, 2nd year.

Why would any agreement be needed in the first place? I agree with the need to protect people who are unfortunately gullible to cybercrime; but something like ACTA would, in my opinion, take things too far.

If internet loses its power to be free and a place where users can share data without fearing the possibility of breaking the law then the internet as we know it will sadly perish. This will have a major influence on my education.

If what I’ve been told about ACTA is correct I will no longer be able to research online journals and websites as they will probably be closed down due the fact that the host websites are making soft copies of what is already available in print form, and that would apparently be a breach of the laws.

There would also be fewer sources of entertainment such as music, television-series and films.

I have never seen an artist whose music or film has been pirated worldwide, begging in the streets, so the money is still being made, ACTA or no ACTA.

If things proceed with governments worldwide acting behind their people’s backs, it will probably be in force in summer as the final vote will probably be held around June.

Other countries, like Poland, have already showed their disagreement in public demonstrations, so we just have to wait and see what happens. Andy Muscat, BA (Hons) English, 3rd year.

Compiled by Noelene Scerri and Jacob Piccinino.