RIP - YOU'LL BE MISSED
We had it good for a while. The freedoms of the internet to connect, share, break down walls and be free from convention - it was great while we had them. The Pirate's Dilemma promised so much.
Regulation, copyright protection, government intervention, corporation control - these have all started the demise and ultimately brought about the death of the internet. Do a search in Google for anything controversial - like torrent sites, government cover-up theories, compromising stories of the rich and powerful or left-field reportage and blogs. Even with a VPN, which used to allow access to stuff that was controlled by IP filters and locked down through various internet service providers - where you could find other countries free from the EU, UK or USA's control, that would show this information, but now the stuff isn't there anymore. Either they have been shut down or the powers that be have restricted their offering. Look at all the videos removed on Youtube for a sign of how heavy handed the copyright laws have become.
With the advances in computer power and low-cost digital filing, we are being monitored and censored like never before. And anything not fitting in with the powers that be is shut down under the name of terrorism, copyright infringement, or merely just because it could upset someone in power. We're being increasingly told what's 'good for us' and what they don't want us to know about is being filtered out. Some of the information could be potentially harmful to minors and yes, some of the digital property needs to be paid for, but the responsibility needs to be in the hands of the individual to make the right choices. That's why the freedom of information act needs to be signed and supported by the population.
The greatest era for learning, connecting and empowerment is here. It's up to us all to ensure it's still here for the future generations to enjoy with the freedom to make the greatest advances in mankind's ongoing development.
