Wikileaks has started an online effort to crowdfund a €100,000 ($109,700) reward for anyone that can secure information on the highly secretive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). At the time of the writing, $50484.36 had been raised by 1290 people with high profile politicians, philosophers, fashion designers and journalists contributing to the cause. According to Wikileaks, the US and European Union have been debating a treaty called TTIP which will allow corporations to sue governments for decisions which impact their profitability. For e.g. if China depreciates Yuan(which it has incidentally done 2 times), theoretically, any American multinational can sue China for loss of business due to the same. Officially however the news is that TTIP seeks to remove “non-tariff barriers” from goods and investments trade, behind closed doors. According to critics, which include leaders from European political parties, have the potential to threaten European rights ranging from online piracy to health safety. TTIP’s agenda is to remove the hassle of passing the different regulations set by different nations, and instead implement more universal standards to ease trade. However no one really knows what the TTIP draft contains. According to the European Peace Party leader the documents are so secretive that only two European politicians are allowed to read it at one time at its secure room in an American Embassy. Before entering the room they are strip searched for any electronic gadget to stop them from copying the contents of TTIP. Further, two US Embassy guards are present inside the room when the European politicians read the draft. The Wikileaks pledge page says this about their crowdfunding effort, Wikleaks founder Julian Assange said: “The secrecy of the TTIP casts a shadow on the future of European democracy. Under this cover, special interests are running wild, much as we saw with the recent financial siege against the people of Greece. The TTIP affects the life of every European and draws Europe into long term conflict with Asia. The time for its secrecy to end is now.” If you are interested in joining the Wikileaks crowdfunding program and would like to contribute, kindly visit here.
