The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) suffered its final European defeat today as the European Commission dropped its case with the European Court of Justice to review the treaty, rendering the controversial legislation unable to be presented before the EU again.

Last July, European netizens rejoiced as ACTA was uniformly rejected by members of the European Parliament amid mass protests against the legislation across the entire continent. Some estimates placed the number of people taking part in anti-ACTA street protests across Europe at 2.5 million. 

After its defeat in parliament, ACTA was referred to the European Court of Justice for further review of its legality. 

In spite of its legislative defeat, many European activists saw the referral to the courts as a stall tactic, allowing for ACTA to come up for a vote again at a later date presumably after protesters had left the streets and political pressure had lessened. 

The United States, along with a host of other nations, has refused to sign the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITR) put together by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) at the World Conference on International Communications (WCIT) in Dubai this week.

Nations with major reservations over the ITR or outright refusals to sign include the UK, Costa Rica, Denmark, Egypt, Sweden, the Netherlands, Kenya, the Czech Republic, Canada, New Zealand and Poland. 

“The US has consistently believed that the ITR should be a high level document and that the scope of the treat doesn't extend to internet governance or dominance,” said US ITU Ambassador Terry Kramer to reporters in a conference call Thursday evening. 

“No single organization or government can or should attempt to control the internet or dictate its future development,” added Ambassador Kramer. 

Anonymous is preparing for its second round of cyber-attacks against the Government of Uganda protesting the country’s anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) legislation that would punish those convicted of “aggravated homosexuality” with life imprisonment.

Last November, a provision in the bill that allowed the death penalty against those convicted was removed. 

However, Ugandan Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has pledged to pass the law by the end of the year as a “Christmas gift” to the bill’s advocates. 

Some factions within the Anonymous hacker collective have taken a keen interest in the case of Uganda’s discriminatory legislation against LGBTs for a host of complicated reasons. 

As press coverage of Uganda’s anti-LGBT attitudes gained more global visibility, the provocative gay-bashing headlines in the media attracted the gaze of the internet. Given the headlines’ outlandish use of derogatory phrases, many sectors of the internet, including Anonymous, found them to be humorous.

While the debate among world governments over changes to the treaty regulating the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) takes place behind closed doors, online activists are terrified that international organizations or national governments could seize control over the internet.

However, what is actually occurring at the ITU’s meeting in Dubai may be much less nefarious than many speculate. In fact, the debates center mostly on the precise language and legal implications of certain definitions — within a treaty governing an organization that was founded over 150 years ago.

“I’m not surprised that we’ve ended up with this narrative about a UN takeover of the internet,” said Ellery Biddle, a policy analyst with the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit public policy organization advocating internet freedom. 

“It’s very hard to communicate about this issue because it isn’t just one law under consideration; it’s a whole host of proposals that cover net neutrality and security,” added Biddle.