Yesterday was American Censorship Day; a day that was organized by some of the biggest names on the Web to draw attention to the Stop Online Piracy Act, which is a bill that gives the government the authority to censor any website that may contain copyrighted material.
Among those opposed to the bill were Google and Facebook; who, along with many other Web giants, sent a letter to Congress explaining that they’re in full support of the bill’s stated goals – “providing additional enforcement tools to combat foreign ‘rogue’ websites that are dedicated to copyright infringement or counterfeiting.” They continue, however, by explaining that the vague nature of the bill as drafted would put legitimate, law-abiding U.S. Internet and tech companies at risk of being censored, as the factors for what is considered “infringement” are unclear…and determined by the government at whim.
This. Is. Terrifying.
This bill is the first American Internet censorship system, and the worst bill in Internet history. And it could soon be a law. A law that, according to BoingBoing, gives “the government and corporations leeway and legal cover for taking down sites ‘by accident,’ mistakenly, or for NOT doing ‘enough’ to protect the interests of Hollywood.” Ohhhh, so it’s about money and power. I get it now.
The Internet serves as the single-most important tool for innovation, creativity, information-sharing, job-creation, talent-scouting, freedom of speech and overall entertainment, and it could be on its death-bed. Any and every site that contains user-generated content, links to videos or music – anything copyrighted – is at risk of being blocked or completely shut down. So…like 99% of the Internet.
This includes the YouTube videos of every up-and-comer – ahem, Justin Bieber – who gets his or her start singing covers online. This includes entire sites like Tumblr and SoundCloud, where sharing media is not only allowed, but encouraged. This even includes the adorable video of your cat doing something oh-so-silly while your phone ringtone blares some Top 40 hit in the background. Didn’t Einstein say something like once cat videos are eliminated from the Internet, humankind isn’t far behind?
This passing of this bill would not only eliminate large sources of entertainment and information, but eliminate the livelihood of millions by taking away their job’s “office.” And as a member of the tech startup world, this doesn’t sit well with me. It wouldn’t sit well with me regardless of my occupation. And it shouldn’t sit well with you. Because at the core of it all, this situation comes down to one thing: freedom.
So I’m with the Web giants: “While we work together to find additional ways to target foreign ‘rogue’ sites, we should not jeopardize a foundational structure that has worked for content owners and Internet companies alike and provides a certainty to innovators with new ideas for how people create, find, discuss, and share information lawfully online.” Because otherwise…the Internet is dead.
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