Anonymous Protests ACTA, Attacks FTC And Other U.S. Agencies' Sites

02-19-2012 • by Amanda Lang

Opponents of a controversial global copyright treaty counted three victories Friday as American government websites were hacked and the Eastern European nations of Poland and Slovenia distanced themselves from the deal. Sites belonging to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the National Consumer Protection Week were vandalized by Anonymous, a loose collection of cyber rebels who have helped lead the charge against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA. The hackers replaced the sites with profanity-laced statements and a violent German-language video satirizing the treaty. At the same time, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday the country was abandoning plans to ratify the deal. He said he now sees his earlier support for ACTA as a mistake. 'I was wrong,' he said at a news conference.