If Pelosi supports an open Internet, she should oppose ‘fast track’

The Internet has flourished as an engine for jobs and economic growth in the United States because it is an environment where people feel free to create and express themselves. Relatively low barriers and little censorship have led to an open and decentralized platform for innovators, artists, businesses and everyone else to participate in a global free market of ideas.

But the openness and trust that has made the Internet so great is under attack by those looking to further decrease our rights to privacy and free speech and to increase profits and censorship.

{mosads}The latest threat to the open Internet, a trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement (TPP), is currently being negotiated in secret between the U.S. government, 11 other Asia-Pacific countries, and lobbyists for multinational corporations. Only the lobbyists know the full extent of what’s in it, but from what we have learned through leaks, the deal could change the global infrastructure of the Internet, stifling innovation and threatening the fundamental rights of Internet users in the U.S. and around the world.

Despite the fact that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, thousands of websites, tech companies, free speech advocacy groups, and the majority of House Democrats oppose fast-tracking the TPP, California Rep. and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D) has not yet made her position clear.

Congress is now racing to pass special rules known as Trade Promotion Authority that would fast-track the secretive deal by limiting how long Congress can debate it, blocking members of Congress from proposing amendments, and ultimately lowering the threshold of votes that would be required for it to pass by removing procedural obstacles.

For a proposal that will have such enormous effects on the open Internet and the rights of people all over the world, bypassing regular procedure and debate is not just anti-democratic, it’s also reckless. Pelosi should clearly and loudly denounce the fast-track proposal and urge all of her colleagues in the House to follow her lead. This is her chance to solidify her reputation as a strong, independent voice for the Internet.

From what we’ve learned through leaked drafts, the TPP’s chapter on intellectual property could lead to mass violations of privacy and free speech rights. For example, the worst aspects of U.S. copyright law for freedom of expression would be exported to the other nations, while the few limitations and exceptions in the U.S. law that are intended to protect free speech and innovation, like fair use, would be marginalized or left out altogether. This section also requires all participating countries to adopt sweeping new rules that would ratchet up control over content and surveillance on the Internet, threatening users’ rights and potentially destroying many innovative, web-based companies.

As the protests over the SOPA Internet censorship legislation and, more recently, the outpouring of support for net neutrality have shown, the Internet has given the public a new source of political power. The Internet itself has been a giant civics lesson, teaching the value of transparency, honesty, and democratic deliberation in how we interact with each other. Attempts to violate these principles on the Internet are being met with mass opposition and grassroots action that represent the best aspects of America’s civil spirit.

If Pelosi supports a free and open Internet, now is the time to take action to stop the TPP from ever taking effect. A good first step would be to come out unequivocally in opposition to fast track.

Oppenheim is CEO of Disconnect.me.