On Jan. 18 the English Wikipedia, Google, Reddit and several thousand other online sites protested the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), many by blocking their content completely. These two bills, which were suspended in the wake of the protest, were meant to curb online piracy of copyrighted media. The Jan.18 blackout disrupted many of the ways in which we use the Internet for social and academic purposes. For twenty-four hours, our normally untrammeled access to websites like Wikipedia and Reddit was entirely blocked. Although we are glad that the event raised awareness about the nature of the Internet, we at The Miscellany News are afraid that that level of awareness was only temporary. The dramatic changes that SOPA and PIPA proposed should not be forgotten after a single simple email to a congressional representative. Rather, people should keep themselves informed about extensive potential changes to the Internet and think critically about their relationship to it.
Protests began because the language of the bill was too broad and could have, among other things, forced websites to monitor all user-submitted content, including comments, for copyright infringement. Most websites could not possibly develop the infrastructure necessary to accomplish this feat, and therefore would have to shut down or face legal battles. The Miscellany News Editorial Board see these bills and the Jan. 18 protest as a call for all Internet users, and college students in particular, to remain cognizant of the fact that the Internet, which has become ubiquitous, is in fact dynamic; individuals should moreover conduct their own research into policies because dramatic changes to the Internet can be good or bad. Though SOPA and PIPA were too blunt and reactionary in their approach, copyright infringement is a problem that requires constructive solutions. The protests highlighted the fact that if the Internet's users fail to take part in conversations about its future, outlets that we have quickly taken for granted are easily threatened.
It is especially important that college students heed this wake up call, both because of our heavy use of the Internet and because of the integral role it has assumed in our lives. Consider that we belong in one of the top bandwidth consuming demographics in America. According to the Pew Research Center, 95% of 18-29 year olds regularly use the Internet compared to 87% of 30-49 year olds and 74% of 50-64 year olds. According to the same survey, 94% of all college graduates use the Internet regularly, compared to 69% of high school graduates. Not only do we use the Internet heavily, but its uses very often enrich our academic experience. We use the Internet as an important social tool, a means for us to share media and keep in touch with peers and professional contacts. We also use the Internet as an educational tool, to access knowledge that can keep us informed about the world around us, and to aid us in research and exploration. Many of us also use the Internet as a creative tool: at the Miscellany News, for example, we use our website to publish articles, blog posts and multimedia content. Whether it is for social, educational or creative purposes, our relationship with the Internet is all but inextricable from the way we lead our lives.
The blackout also highlighted the dynamic nature of the Internet. It can and will undergo changes, some more sweeping than others. Instead of taking our relationship with the Internet for granted, we need to take the time to properly evaluate each change. If our right to free speech is jeopardized, or we lose our ability to use the Internet's valuable educational and networking tools, maybe the change is for the worse. But if we are forced to use media in a more responsible way, without resorting to piracy, then maybe the change is for the better. Though we know that SOPA and PIPA provided the wrong solutions, the problems they sought to address were very real.
Just as we critique the heavy regulation that the two bills proposed, we must also scrutinize the influence of online hegemons. Websites like Wikipedia, Google, and Reddit each maintain their own private interests. While the crusade they led last Wednesday admirably proved the power of citizens to influence their representatives, it also pointed to the undeniable power of these sites to shape the opinions of their users. We applaud last week's effort to halt SOPA and PIPA, but wonder if in the future such sites might exert undue influence. For this reason it is of the utmost importance that users stay informed through a variety of sources and reach their own conclusions.
The vote on SOPA and PIPA may be indefinitely postponed, but other possible vehicles of change are still alive. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is an international covenant designed to strengthen enforcement against intellectual property right infringements. While it is still being debated by a number of countries, the United States has already signed the document. The online blackout of Jan. 18 served as a wake-up call; now is the time to be aware of the Internet and how we use it, and to look at vehicles of change such as ACTA with a critical eye. The online protest proved a popular support for online freedoms; it is now time to turn that movement towards finding solutions to the challenges facing the arguably greatest resource of our age.
—The staff editorial represents the opinion of at least two-thirds of the 21-member Miscellany News editorial baord.
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