The time is now

Hey all,

I wanted to write something about the recent developments in real life and the internet here.

Recently, alot of pro-copyright organisations started fighting copyright infringement more actively. As some of you may have read, this lead to a modern witchhunt against pirates and like-minded people.

This didn't end with just fighting them in the courts, but even resorting to more criminal ways. Things like hacking, blackmailing, harassing and bribery has happened. This has caused much anger at the already angry public. While the mainstream media may try to keep the issues revolving around this silent, the general public can't deny the dangers any more. The internet has turned into a battlefield, and soon it will also get to real life. Anyone who tries to ignore the facts will be left in the dark eventually.

As posted in an earlier blog post, I talked about the attacks on copyright organisations by the 'anon' group (many news articles state 4chan is behind it, but it isn't true. 4chan is merely one of the recruiting areas for anon). This is escalating, indirectly causing damage to over 8000 sites.

While it's likely that the mainstream media are going to try to create negative publicity about 4chan and anon, it's actually one of the groups which fights for civil liberties (although possibly in a childish way). The impact has been great, and it might become more serious over time. While the attacks keep going on, the copyright industry has been working on a counterattack for some time. The ramnifications of this counterattack could be greater than the attacks by anon.

The internet is currently the backbone of most of the communication going on in the (western) world. The internet is currently still free, but that is at great stake. The counterattack by the copyright organisations, named COICA (Combating Online Infringements and Counterfeits Act) will change the internet as we know it today forever. It will not only cause the internet to be controlled by the US Government, but it also increases the corporation's control over the internet.

If the free internet would disappear, the freedom of press would be gone too. And with this, most of the non-biased information sources will be gone. This is not only a serious threat for the internet, but also for the democratic process itself. Since what will provide us with truth, when the only 'truth' we will know comes from one single source? This is why the general public can't ignore the situation any more.

Besides 4chan, there are several other groups which fight the current developments. These organisations include the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Pirate Parties International and several other groups spread around the globe. In my eyes, it is critical that we support and vote for these groups, if we want to reach a true democracy.

Also, research in several countries concluded that piracy is good for prosperity and economy. The same goes for free flow of knowledge and information. This has been the prime source of inspiration for these organisations. These groups generally defend civil rights and prosperity of the entire society the best. Many current political parties fail to address the current situation, which isn't smart at all. Developments will currently continue. The question will be: Will the general public wake up in time to prevent a totalitarian world?

It's time to take action now, so feel free to spread this story and tell the people about this! Defend your civil rights, take action now!

Copy me happy,
Roberto Moretti