It’s being hailed as the law everyone hates, but that’s not stopping its forward movement. One report is suggesting that it could be finalized this week.
Article 11, known as the link tax, and Article 13, known as the censorship, has been hailed as a death sentence for internet businesses and free speech in Europe. It’s been universally rejected by stakeholders and critics have attacked it for being a direct assault on the Internet. Despite its status as being a universally slammed law, it continues to move forward.
Last month, free speech supporters thought that they were on the verge of victory when member states rebelled against the directive. The votes would have ensured that the directive was on the ropes. That moment seemed to bring back memories of digital rights triumphing over ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement).
Unfortunately, the tide quickly turned against free speech when Germany stunned observers when they caved to the pressures of France. The sudden surrender of German officials to French pressure meant that the directive could move ahead. That move caused business leaders to slam Germany, blasting them as weak on negotiations thanks to this capitulation.
Now, the directive, once thought unstoppable, then thought all but dead, is now back to being seemingly unstoppable again. A report on Packt says that the directive could be finalized this week. The report cites Andrus Ansip, EU digital chief, posting a tweet from last week saying that the directive could be finalized this week. Whether or not that is going to happen remains unclear as we’ve heard no word on whether or not that actually has happened or not.
These latest developments are no doubt shocking to the 4.7 million Europeans who signed a petition condemning the legislation. Now, everyone is on pins and needles waiting to see whether or not this “existential threat” is going to emerge from the “trilogue” meetings, ready to try and win just a couple more votes to become law. While the battle isn’t over yet, things are beginning to look bad for those who support digital rights.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.
