The Internet is one of the United States' most robust and growing industries.
It enables free and open communication among billions,
and it's been the backbone for protests around the world.
But a new bill proposes to give the power to censor the Internet
to the entertainment industry.
It's called PROTECT IP, and here's how it works.
Private corporations want the ability to shut down unauthorized sites
where people download movies, TV shows, and music
Since most of these sites are outside US jurisdiction,
PROTECT IP uses a couple different tactics within American borders.
Firstly, it gives the government the power to make
US Internet providers block access to infringing domain names.
They can also sue US-based search engines,
directories, or even blogs and forums,
to have links to these sites removed.
Secondly, PROTECT IP gives corporations and
the government the ability to cut off funds to
infringing websites by having US-based advertisers
and payment services cancel those accounts.
In a nutshell, that's what PROTECT IP will try to do.
But in all likelihood, it'll do something else altogether.
For starters, it won't stop downloaders.
You'll still be able to access a blocked site
just by entering its IP address instead of its name.
What PROTECT IP will do is cripple new startups
because it also lets companies sue any site
they feel isn't doing their filtering well enough.
These lawsuits could easily bankrupt new search engines
and social media sites.
And PROTECT IP's wording is ambiguous enough
that important social media sites could become
targets.
Lots of trailblazing websites could look like
piracy heavens to the wrong judge.
Tumblr, SoundCloud, an early YouTube,
wherever people express themselves, make art,
broadcast news or organize protests,
there's plenty of TV footage, movie clips,
and copyrighted music mixed in.
And even if you trust the US government
not to abuse their new power to censor the Net,
what about the countries that follow in our path
and pass similar laws?
People around the world will have very different
Internets, and unscrupulous governments will have
powerful tools to hinder free expression.
But perhaps most dangerously, PROTECT IP will
meddle with the inner workings of the Net.
Experts believe by filtering with the vast registry of domain names
the result will be less security
and less stability.
In short, PROTECT IP won't stop piracy, but it will
introduce vast potential for censorship and abuse,
while making the web less safe and less reliable
This is the Internet we're talking about!
It's a vital and vibrant medium.
And our government is tampering with its
basic structure, so people will maybe buy more
Hollywood movies.
But Hollywood movies don't get grassroots candidates
elected. They don't overthrow corrupt regimes,
and the entire entertainment industry doesn't even
contribute that much to our economy.
The Internet does all these, and more.
Corporations already have tools to fight piracy.
They have the power to take down specific content,
to sue peer-to-peer software companies out of existence,
and to sue journalists just for talking about how to
copy a DVD.
They have a history of stretching and abusing
their powers. They tried to take a baby video
off YouTube, just for the music playing in
the background. They've used legal penalties
written for large-scale commercial piracy
to go after families and children.
They even sued to ban the VCR and the first
MP3 players.
So the question is, "How far will they take all this?"
The answer at this point, is obvious.
As far as we'll let them.