It’s being reported that a treaty, currently being negotiated in secret, could force European internet service providers to monitor internet traffic and services, and in turn ‘risk the openness of the web’.

All ACTA negotiations have so far been held in secret, we’d imagine they’re pretty similar to the StoneCutters' meetings.

This stark warning, reports The Telegraph, comes from the European Internet Service Providers Association (EuroISPA). The Association is wary of the results of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which is a series of negotiations aimed at preventing counterfeiting both on and offline. Taking place between the United States, the European Commission, Japan, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Canada and Mexico, all negotiations have so far been held in secret, although leaks have become more extensive.

Continues, the report, “EuroISPA is aiming to prevent Europe from adopting a series of laws like those currently in force in America, which subject websites to strict punishments if they do not quickly take down material that is notified as in copyright. The organisation also fears that ISPs will lose their status as conduits, responsible for transmitting data but not the data itself.”

Key to the negotiations, however, is their secrecy. The European Parliament will debate a motion on ACTA today (9 March) and is set to formally call for negotiating positions to be made public on Wednesday. “America is known to be among the nations pressing for the process to continue in secret, however, even though they could lead to the creation of new criminal offences,” adds the report.