Right now European institutions are deciding on legislation that would ban illegal timber, which devastates forests and enriches organized crime. But certain member states with large timber industries are blocking negotiations.

Within days, the European Union could ban illegal timber from entering the market — but powerful companies are blocking discussions.

Forests are the habitat and life source of many peoples and are essential in preventing climate change, but while there is high demand for timber, illegal logging thrives, killing species, and fuelling corruption and organized crime.

The European Parliament has just voted for harsh penalties and criminal sanctions for importers of timber that was harvested illegally in other countries, but now the EU Council and the Commission have their say, and some member states with large timber industries are threatening to water down the crucial controls.

Let’s build a massive citizens’ outcry to get the Council’s approval. Sign the petition below, and forward this email to all your friends. Together, we can urge the EU to end illegal timber imports and save our forests. Take action now:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_stop_illegal_timber

20-40% of the global timber market is estimated to be illegal. That’s roughly 10-15 Billion Euros a year which is stolen and funnelled to criminal syndicates. The US has already approved strong laws against illegal timber — but the EU is one of the world’s leading timber importers and as long as it does not ban the trade, it is directly responsible for around a 3 billion Euros share in this black market.

The social and environmental impacts of this industry are truly devastating and it is inciting money laundering, corruption and violence. Mismanaged deforestation drives global climate change and robs both indigenous peoples and animals, who rely on the forests, of crucial natural resources.

Last year the timber companies beat the ban, working with timber import countries to delay European legislation. But this year the Parliament has proposed even stronger laws and some sectors of the timber industry as well as the UK, Denmark, Belgium and Spain have come out in favour of an outright ban.

Let’s not let the companies which fuel misery and destruction win again. Together, we can tackle illegal logging and protect our forests and their peoples. Sign the petition — then spread the word:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_stop_illegal_timber

Forests are a vital resource and our first line of defense on climate change, but they are being destroyed across the planet. When the EU imports this timber we become accomplices to the devastation and environmental crime that criminal networks inflict. Let’s tell our leaders it’s time to stop.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_stop_illegal_timber

With hope,

Luis, Iain, Ricken, Alice, Graziela, Pascal, David, Veronique, Ben, Milena and the rest of the Avaaz team

SOURCES:

See WWF’s report on Illegal logging and the EU — click on the link to download the PDF version:
http://www.avaaz.org/wwf_illegal_timber_report

More on the Parliament vote and Council stand-off:
http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/165086/1/5795

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/064-74282-127-05-19-911-20100507STO74261-2010-07-05-2010/default_en.htm

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Support the Avaaz community! We’re entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way — donate here.

Link to article: EU: No More Illegal Timber

This is a really quick blog post and it’s one which is only really going to be relevant to our readers in the UK, but it’s still something everyone should be aware of.

Basically, the UK government is in the process of passing a bill which would regulate how UK residents might be able to use the internet. It’s called the Digital Economy Bill and you don’t need to take a very close look at it to see that it’s full of problems – not least of which is the hazy language and poorly defined punishments suggested for alleged illegal downloaders within the UK.

Here’s an example. The bill proposes that if you download illegal, copyright infringing files then your internet will be cut off. How do the government know you are downloading illegal files? Because your ISP will be obligated to monitor everything you access and download, then share it with copyright holders. Clever people could probably find a way to avoid detection, but that only complicates things.

As RockPaperShotgun (who finally provoked me into writing about it) also point out, the bill is being pushed through parliament too quickly because of the impending general election. It’s hazy definitions would then allow the government to decide what constitutes filesharing exactly and to define what the responsibilities of ISPs and copyright holders would be after the bill has passed.

That’s not just silly, it’s completely wrong.

Don’t misunderstand me (and bit-tech/CustomPC). Everyone in the office is totally against copyright infringement. I work daily alongside people who are affected by game piracy and we’ve had our own content pilfered by others in the past too. I know that eventually steps must be taken to try and change the situation – but it’s important not to rush into things just because the country is in a tight spot financially and the entertainment industry is getting all huffy.

If you feel the same then there are things you can do. You can educate yourself – RPS point to this nice little summary from GameLaw and I’ll add in the official parliament website, which monitors the progress of the bill through government.

You can also petition against the bill via your local MP. There’s a quick online petition at 38Degrees that automatically finds the right person for you to nag and lets you send them a letter. That’s what I’ve done and it’s what I’d suggest you all do too – that, and let me know your thoughts in the forums, naturally.

Link to article: Act Now: The Digital Economy Bill Petition

The internet chapter of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a secret copyright treaty whose text Obama’s administration refused to disclose due to “national security” concerns, has leaked. It’s bad. It says:

Notable links:
United Mesh Network

The ATCA documents (PDF file)
Stop ATCA Now! petition
The ACTA Internet Chapter: Putting the Pieces Together
Copyright Treaty Is Policy Laundering at Its Finest
/i/nsurgency w/i/ki article
IPjustice.org article

Please tell as many people about this as you can. The connected world needs to know how their freedoms are, yet again, going to be sucked away without them even blinking.

Link to article: Secret copyright treaty leaks. It’s bad. Very bad.

Craig Cunningham has made $20,000 from 18 lawsuits he’s filed against debt collectors for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). In fact, it’s something a part-time job/hobby for him. To ensnare his first FDCPA-violating collector, with voice recorder running, he called back the number they left on his answering machine, and asked:

“Can you garnish my wages if I don’t pay?”
“Yes,” said the debt collection rep.
“Can you put a lien on my house?”
“Yes,” they said.

Wrongo. Both are illegal for debt collectors to do, as is representing that you can. Craig used that little recording to net himself his first lawsuit score of $1,000. More tips on fighting back at shady debt collectors are in the rest of the article at the Dallas News. Granted, Craig might go a little overboard with trying to bait the debt collectors and he’s no sterling angel either, personal finance-wise, but if you find yourself backed up against the wall by an unscrupulous debt collector, some of Craig’s tactics might come in handy, and they may even be profitable.

Better Off Deadbeat: Craig Cunningham Has a Simple Solution for Getting Bill Collectors Off His Back. He Sues Them. [Dallas Observer] (Thanks to greb_brown!)

Link to article: The Debtor Debt Collectors Hate To Call

Kerri (not her real name) says she was detained last week at a Walmart in Utah, after she declined to show the receipt checker her receipt on the way out. She says a police officer blocked her from leaving, told her to show the receipt checker more respect, and then had her go back inside and let Walmart examine her bags while he wrote down the info from her drivers license.

January 9th, 2010

Hello, my name is Kerri ___. I live in Genola, Utah. I am 44 years old.

I went shopping at Walmart after work on Thursday, January 7th. I got there ~1:30 pm. I shopped for ~ 1 hour, and I also returned 4 pairs of pants and had 1 I kept in a sack with receipt prior to shopping. I bought 6 bubble bars for my fish tank and a bag of 10 boys’ socks put in bags. I also bought 6 rolls of wrapping paper on clearance for $.75 a roll.

I paid for my belongings and proceeded out the same door I had come into. The older lady asked for a receipt as I was walking through. I replied, “No thanks,” and walked away, headed for the Redbox to get a movie, when I was surrounded by 2 police officers, the door greeter and the head of security for Walmart.

The policeman reprimanding me for not showing the door greeter with more respect, and warned me how I do not talk to people like that and that I had better give my receipt NOW! I said OK and headed back into Walmart to the lady that checked me out and asked her to tell these people that I just bought this stuff 30 seconds ago. She put her hands up and said I don’t know anything. Refusing to tell them I was just there.

Things got a little heated and I said maybe we should get ICE down here and make everyone get their green cards in order before anyone can leave Walmart! That’s when the policeman wanted my license, and I told him fine I would like his name and badge number. I gave him my lic and the bag door greeter my receipt and I started telling people to watch and pay attention to what these police were doing to me.

I turned to the cashier and asked for a pen to write the name and badge number, and she backed up and said I don’t want anything to do with this. I saw a customer pen with flowers on it and picked it up to use, this is when another policeman took it from my hand and said I could not use it.

Then I really started to holler for people to pay ATTENTION to what they were doing. The lady and and others went all through my bags and gave me my receipt, I asked for my lic and the policeman said “I’ll give it to you when I see fit.”

I was just pulling out my phone to call my husband for a ride home( I was going to walk away and I didn’t want to drive without my license.) The policeman said he would keep me there as long as he wanted. I took that as being detained. He gave me my lic after writing info from it and I left.

And I was screaming all the way out the door and to my car.

I called the manager and he was even confused as to why the police was on his premises let alone conducting Walmart business. I got the name on only one of them and I never got his badge number, I thought by law they were to give this number when asked, I’m probably
wrong.

Link to article: Walmart Holds Another Customer Hostage