No Data Privacy, No Free Trade Agreement

[unhappycamper]

http://watchingamerica.com/News/239529/no-data-privacy-no-free-trade-agreement/

In the battle for security for all citizens, the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is the only weapon in our arsenal. Only more transparency in negotiations and respect for each other's values will dispel suspicions and clear the rumor closet of 'chlorine chickens' and genetically altered corn.

No Data Privacy, No Free Trade Agreement
Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany
By Nadja Hirsch and Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger
Translated By Ron Argentati
23 May 2014
Edited by Lau­rence Bouvard

No later than the dawn of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, everyone should have learned that anything that affects people and their everyday lives in the 21st century can no longer be negotiated secretly. Nor should they be. There are good reasons to conclude free trade agreements: job and wealth creation and lower costs for consumers of cross-border goods. Those hip Ray-Ban sunglasses will certainly get cheaper, as will automobiles. But it shouldn't stop there. Europeans remain critical — rightly so — and won't allow themselves to be devoured by the European Union Commission. The German parliament should and must represent the interests of European citizens regarding this agreement and should not allow the commission to usurp these rights.

Why Is Transparency a Concern?

Presently, the TTIP is keeping pace with ACTA and, unless something changes, will fail just as ACTA did. Only more transparency in negotiations and consideration for the cultural values of others, will help reduce mistrust and eliminate rumors of “chlorine chickens” and genetically altered corn. But the German political parties CDU, CSU and SPD all appear to be unwilling to bring pressure to bear on the European Union Commission. If all parties are expressly opposed to a lowering of consumer and worker protection standards and no one wants to see a multibillion-dollar investment protection clause included, why the opposition to transparency? One can only advise those who want to see a free trade agreement enacted to immediately begin pressuring both Brussels and Washington for more daylight to be brought into the negotiations.

But one aspect is getting short shrift in the discussion: Even if the requested transparency is forthcoming and the fears of hormone-drenched meat never materialize, when crunch time arrives, it's still all about protecting our private data! The Free Democratic Party insists a data privacy agreement must be a prerequisite to any free trade agreement, because the free trade agreement is the last leverage Europe will have for perhaps another 10 years to wring a reasonable data privacy deal from the United States for our citizens, our businesses and our research facilities.

But what real chance is there of getting a data privacy agreement parallel with a free trade agreement? Chancellor Merkel visited Washington. Her personal cell phone was tapped, along with those of millions of other Germans and Europeans. Everyone would have understood had she found the right words to respond to that eavesdropping. Everyone had actually expected her to respond appropriately. But the chancellor only mentioned the NSA in passing reference; whether she did so out of resignation or disinterest makes no difference. The signal was still the same: America can do whatever it chooses to do.

[corkhead]

1. I am surprised our telecommunication overlords (Comcast et al) have allowed us to read this.

[djean111]

2. Oh, it is not like we can do anything about it. Must be amusing to them.

[PeoViejo]

3. Illusions of Freedom

You can't see the GULAG fence, but it's still there.