We can't claim the Internet or access to it as a certain unalienable right. The Internet is a privilege. It's extra. It's icing on the cake, connecting all the craziness that is this planet. Our ideas, our cultures, our arts, and our lives. Certainly the Internet contains the unsavory, the inappropriate, and the illegal. But that's part of it. That's part of the freedom. A freedom that fosters discovery and encourages interaction; that's the Internet.
The First Amendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech.
H.R.3261 "Stop Online Piracy Act" and S.968 "PROTECT IP" will abridge the freedom of speech.
These blanket solutions cover the unsavory, inappropriate, illegal facets of the Internet, but they damage so much more than just the intended targets. The blast radius will cripple the Internet as we know and love it.
Save the Internet. Save the discovery. Save the connectivity.
Keep it free.
No comments:
Post a Comment