Miranda Ramnares<\/p>\n
\n
The internet is like a jungle. It is dense and dangerous, beautiful and wild,
\nrichly populated by predators and prey alike. It is a total wilderness,
\nunregulated and unsecured. The lack of control over the internet has led to its
\ngrowth as the largest platform for free, unlimited and unrestricted content.
\nBecause of the internet, music, movies and programs can be created, copied,
\nsold and sent around the world. Yet, this has not come without a price. Internet
\npirates have made use of the internet to steal others\u2019 creative work. Due to
\nthe increasing popularity of stolen files on the internet, governments have
\nbegun to draft laws in an attempt to control the internet by ending piracy and
\nprotecting creative work. However, not everyone is pleased.<\/p>\n
Since October, when the US government drafted the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA,
\ninternet users across the globe have risen up in protest.\u00a0 The bill was introduced with measures to prosecute internet pirates as well as any websites that support or host the content. The bill would have enabled corporations to reclaim stolen files and given the
\ngovernment more power in investigating internet piracy.<\/p>\n
While the bill was well intentioned, the wording was so broad that the bill would
\nhave given corporations the ability to close down entire websites that had any
\nof their content. Blog sites like Tumblr or WordPress for instance, could be
\ncompletely shut down if any user posted pirated content.<\/p>\n
Within a few months, websites began blacking themselves out in protest, petitions The protests were largely led by the \u201chacktivist\u201d group, Anonymous. Anonymous is a Anonymous believes in a totally free internet, without laws restricting file sharing and They have gained notoriety for maliciously ahacking into With the battle for freedom of information on the internet being waged between Even though freedom of information is a relatively new idea, its existence on the internet is on its way to becoming one of the most important debates of our generation. It is a virtual tug of war between creative property rights and total unrestricted expression. In the coming months, a balance must be struck between them, if the internet is to continue to thrive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Miranda Ramnares The internet is like a jungle. It is dense and dangerous, beautiful and wild, richly populated by predators and prey alike. It is a total wilderness, unregulated and unsecured. The lack of control over the internet has led … Continue reading
\nsprung up across the web, and internet users across the globe were enraged. On
\nJanuary 18th<\/sup>, Wikipedia posted a message on its front page declaring
\nits support for the SOPA protesters. That same day, 700 smaller websites also
\nblacked out, and Mozilla\u2019s Firefox posted a banner across their homepage also
\ndeclaring support for the protest.<\/p>\n
\ncollective mass of people of all ages worldwide who together use the internet
\nto protest. They have been described as similar to a flock of crows, all flying
\nin nearly the same direction but with complete independence of one another,
\nable to break off and change course as they please. For this reason, the face
\nof Anonymous is a blurry one. Sometimes they appear heroic, such as when they
\nexposed secret neo-Nazi organizations in Canada a few weeks ago. Yet, they can
\nalso be almost villainous, as shown when they hacked into an Epilepsy Hotline
\nwebsite and replaced the front page with seizure inducing images.<\/p>\n
\npirating, so that the internet can exist as a place for unlimited expression. Without
\nrestrictions on file sharing, artist would be able to make use of any kind of
\nwork posted on the internet. While this is an ambitious and admirable idea, the
\nmeans they use to achieve are somewhat less so.<\/p>\n
\nwebsites, often posting offensive and disgusting images. Due to the size of the
\ngroup, and lack of leadership, every single one of its members can be seen as a
\nrepresentative. This has led to a negative image in popular media, with some
\nviewing them as bullies or terrorists.<\/p>\n
\nAnonymous and the government, it\u2019s difficult to choose a side. Neither are
\nheroes nor villains, and either side cannot present a convincing argument in
\ntheir support.<\/p>\n