Tony Y: First post
Topic: Technology/Science
Title: Megaupload case spurs other sites to step up anti-piracy enforcement
Author: Kayla Stoner
Publication Name: CNN
Date of Publication: February 8th, 2012
Length of Article: 740 words
Many file-sharing websites have started to increase anti-piracy enforcement after the website Megaupload.com was shut down by the US Department of Justice. Last month in January, Megaupload was taken down by the Department of Justice for knowingly hosting illegal pirated material and its founder, Kim Dotcom, was arrested. Since the take down, other file hosting websites have removed a lot of illegal content from their sites. For example, the website videobb has removed many of its links to illegal movies and TV shows. Although it is hard for websites to remove all pirated material, websites like videobb are hoping that by trying to stop illegal content from being uploaded, it will protect them from a similar shutdown to the one that happened to Megaupload. Other websites are choosing to voluntarily shut down altogether. The founder of BT Junkie, another file-hosting site, shut down his website to avoid any potential legal complications. Still, some websites have done nothing at all since the Megaupload shutdown. RapidShare, a website based in Switzerland, claimed that they already had very good anti-piracy enforcement. However, Megaupload's shutdown still affects sites like RapidShare as many of MegaUpload's customers flock to other file-hosting sites, forcing these sites to remove even more content.
In conclusion, MegaUpload's shutdown has affected all of the file-hosting websites, whether websites choose to take action at all. Some sites have chosen to improve security while others have chosen to shut down. As the US continues to fight software piracy to protect intellectual property, many changes in how the internet functions are starting to appear. The war against online piracy has seen ups and downs the past few months, from the SOPA and PIPA acts to the recent take-down of Megaupload.com. The vast effects of these events are very visible, from SOPA protests by Google and Wikipedia, to the changes in the file-hosting websites. Megaupload's takedown is most likely only a sign of things to come as the fight between corporate intellectual rights and internet rights continues.
I agree that the SOPA and PIPA acts and the Megaupload takedown have huge effects on the internet. Nowadays there are numerous sites on which people can access all sorts of illegal contents. While file-sharing seems usual and rightful to many people, they do not realize the level of impact that the infringement of intellectual rights have upon the creators. I think this is going to be very controversial as corporate seeks to protect intellectual rights and internet users attempt to keep the internet a free and open medium.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there is a large impact on the companies and sites, there is also a growing user scare. Lots of file sharing sites have seen a decline in the uploading of objects and files of users. Another difficulty that this brings is the fact that it is so hard to regulate something so large and so nebulous as the internet. Although the larger sorts of websites can be monitored, new proxies and other means of deterring arrest will arrise and almost fix the problem. The government must see that just like prohibition, the regulation of something so large and so common will be literally impossible. Regulation should be in place, but a total lockdown will cause such a spike in crime that it will not be worth it in the end
ReplyDelete