(Author)
The internet serves as the easiest gateway to vast information that is readily available and updated. Social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter, made it possible to communicate closely with friends and family. Streaming sites, most notably YouTube, has changed the way we think when talking about watching videos and listening to music. Gone are the days when people have to walk into video rental shops or buying bulky mixtapes and CDs. File-sharing sites, like 4shared and MediaFire, served a great deal for netizens by allowing them to share relevant files and documents across thousands of miles. With a search engine like Google being part of this modern life, our world has gotten smaller. It might be slightly exaggerated but our world is literally in our hands and within our reach with just a few clicks. As such, there is no doubt that the internet is a valuable discovery with all these mentioned capabilities alone. Unfortunately, most people can’t help but make use of this opportunity to access as much free stuff as they could. For the greediest netizens, the worst case scenario is ultimately selling them when they were not even authorized to get them in the first place. In my understanding, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to fully prevent online piracy.
Let’s say my brother does purchase a CD of his favorite band. He could rip the CD and save a copy of all the songs of that album in his computer without the knowledge or even the slightest hint of the recording company that produced it. If he happens to decide on listening to the same songs in his office, he could simply upload it online through a streaming or file-sharing site so he can access it anytime from anywhere including his office. If it’s only for his personal use, it’s not all that bad for the recording company because they wouldn’t really lose money. However, if almost every fan of the same band my brother is listening to all of a sudden stops buying their CDs because they found my brother’s files online, then that’s another thing – online piracy. Almost everything that you can find online can be pirated. They include movies, TV shows, songs, softwares and even books. To make matters worse, even if the recording company does get a hold of my brother’s files and forbid the distribution of those songs, someone out there must have had a copy already and he can proceed to upload it online as well. As the cycle goes on, the more money the recording company loses.
I would be a big liar if I tell everyone that I’ve never experienced it. I’ve had my share of downloading music, movies, softwares and books for my own use. I never thought about selling them and never would but I cannot deny that I have caused a company some forgone income because I did not proceed to purchase when I really should. It’s somehow unethical but I also try to think of it in another way: If someone who bought the movie wants to share it with me, there is really no logical reason for me to decline when it’s just there. Furthermore, I also believe that sharing anything with other netizens is already inherent to using the internet. If you take that part away, the internet suddenly becomes significantly static and silent. It’s probably the reason why some people oppose SOPA and PIPA so much saying that it takes away their freedom. I understand that companies lose millions every year due to online piracy and so it’s just proper to prevent it. On the other hand, I also can’t imagine that there will come a time when I will no longer have access to them. I do not trust myself to decide on whether I support SOPA and PIPA or not. I’ve done it a lot even before I got the clear concept of online piracy. Thus, I can’t really make a firm conviction because I might have been numb from doing it a lot already. The only thing that I’m certain about is whatever the outcome may be, I won’t have any choice but to follow it. For the meantime, as long as it is made available for me online, I will not feel guilty.
References:
- Johnson, L. (January 19, 2012). What is SOPA? Anti-Piracy Bill Explained. Retrieved from
- Magid, L. (January 18, 2012). What are SOPA and PIPA? And Why all the fuss?. Retrieved from
