Let's do the ACTA Time Warp Again

In Infosecurity Magazine, 30 April 2012

(Also published in: Compliance and Policy; Internet and Network Security)

It was a jump to the left when socialist David Martin advised that "the
European Parliament cannot guarantee adequate protection for citizens'
rights in the future under ACTA." Now there's a step to the right as Mme
Gallo, described by the IPtegrity blog as "rights-holders sweetheart and
Sarkozy-ite", voted to delay the Legal Affairs' recommendation. She claims
that she needs to incorporate the views of the European Data Protection
Supervisor as published in his own Opinion - even though the EDPS
opinion runs counter to the known view of Gallo's rightist EPP grouping.

Commentators see this as a delaying tactic: Gallo and the right wing of the
European Parliament are 'officially' in favor of ACTA. "What could be going
on is an attempt to manoeuvre the Parliament into delaying the final ACTA
vote, to give the rights-holder lobby more time to gather support," writes
Monica Horten in IPtegrity. "There may also be a view that if the vote is
delayed, public opinion will move onto something else and those MEPs who
are swinging votes will be persuaded that it's ok to support ACTA."

See the cited article here: ACTA: EU Parliament takes a step to the right