The Parliament voted in favour of the “Trade Secrets Protection Directive” — a law that, according to SumOfUs, gives corporations alarming new superpowers to prosecute and criminalise whistleblowers, journalists, and news organisations that publish leaked internal documents.
SumOfUs is convinced this law will deter people from speaking out so corporations can keep getting away with things like corporate tax avoidance, human rights breaches, and environmental ruin. Corporations claim that the law is about protecting their trade secrets. But the Directive defines “trade secrets” so broadly that it covers almost any information inside a company.
The Council of the European Union still has to approve the Directive. Nation states have to implement it — and they have considerable discretion in deciding the penalties for breach of this law.
Read original article at actions.sumofus.org
For more information: Panama Papers show need to safeguard press freedoms from proposed EU legislation
To sign the petition against the Directive click here: Say no to the new trade secrets laws
