If any of you readers have been up to date with the news, you would see that a previously vetoed law called Article 13 is voted back into existence. Now the thing is called Article 17.
What it is
Anyway, for those of you that don't know what this is, Article 13/17 is a law that states that all public streaming sites must insert screening algorithms within the site to prevent any instances of copywrite violation and will punish the writer and the site by charging them a certain amount of dollars or whatever money that the country uses.
My opinion
At first when I read this new law, I must admit is that it seems like a good idea, as it in theory, would lessen on those instances where there's real copywrite infringement. However, when I read the law even further, I found that the wording is very vague and filled with loopholes.
The major creators (AKA: authors, movie directors, musicians, etc.) might take advantage of this and charge people when there's no evidence of infringement. Also, part of the law requires the use of algorithms. By itself algorithms are a cool piece of technology that makes browsing the internet safer and easier by looking into the sites itself and scans for unsafe things that its coded to find. (I know because I researched Algorithms for a research project). Anyway, here however, because the copywrite laws are so very confusing and complicated, even the best algorithm that's coded into reality would get confused and block materials, art, and stories, etc. that aren't infringing anything. Also, in voting this back into existence, the people with power are limiting the showing of creativity and in general, the vibrancy of the internet world.
As the Ao3 and Wattpad user SkylerSkyHigh, said, "They need to stop just thinking about the money while the others who don't see it as a business are suffering." Although I wouldn't fully agree with this statement, as the rule-makers' decisions are well intentioned. I'll condemn them as hard as heck because there are better ways to enforce copywrite laws than having every public sharing site (like Ao3, Wattpad, Youtube, FF.net, etc.) code up a ton of algorithms that will mess with what we'll see and what we'll post. The part that I'll agree with is that fanfiction, and stories in general have brought communities together. This community(s) have supported and helped each other. If the rule-makers are that determined to take down those sites, they are also taking down the communities within.
Therefore, spread the word and #Save-the-internet (I did the hashtag wrong didn't I... :P).
I'm thinking of writing a
