The man charged with protecting EU citizens' personal data and privacy has protested at being frozen out of secret negotiations to tighten international copyright law online.

Peter Hustinx, the European Data Protection Supervisor, spoke out after a draft of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) leaked on Friday. It showed plans to make ISPs liable under civil law for the content of traffic.

The secrecy surrounding the talks between Western governments has prompted an outcry from digital rights lobbyists, who claim an entertainment industry stitch-up. The UK government recently declined to release more details to Parliament.