Office for Personal Data Protection: ACTA unbalanced regarding individual rights

The Czech Office for Personal Data Protection has issued a statement on its website saying that ACTA (the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) was unbalanced regarding existing legal guarantees of individual rights. In the view of the office, the agreement determined new powers, including repressive tools, in unclear terms, one reason why the bureau will continue to monitor the issue. On Monday, Prime Minister Petr Nečas said the government will suspend ratification of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. Responding to a wave of protests in the Czech Republic and elsewhere, the Prime Minister said that the government would not allow a situation where civic freedoms and free access to information would be threatened and added that the government will still analyse the issue and its potential impact on daily life.

Author: Jan Velinger