All over the globe, governments are seeking more control over the internet. Wherever you live, internet laws affect us all. The EU are about to vote on Article 13, a copyright law aimed at curtailing the sharing of internet content. FYI.

Article 13 could "destroy the internet as we know it": What is it, why is it controversial and what will it mean for memes?
Critics of the proposed EU directive on copyright warn that it could censor internet users
Thomas McMullan
12 Jun 2018

Ahead of a major vote on EU copyright law, more than 70 leading technology figures have penned a joint letter condemning the Article 13 provision in the potential legislation – warning it could break the internet as we know it.

Among the signatories is the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, and internet pioneer Vint Cerf. Together with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a gamut of other experts, they warn Article 13 “takes an unprecedented step towards the transformation of the internet, from an open platform for sharing and innovation, into a tool for the automated surveillance and control of its users”.

The letter highlights the cost of putting automatic filtering technologies in place to fulfill the new copyright rules, which they argue will hinder European startups and SMEs from competing with US firms. They draw particular attention to the effect of Article 13 on internet users, who would face a barrier to uploading and remixing everything from music and videos to computer code.

“We support the consideration of measures that would improve the ability for creators to receive fair remuneration for the use of their works online,” the letter reads. “But we cannot support Article 13, which would mandate Internet platforms to embed an automated infrastructure for monitoring and censorship deep into their networks.

“For the sake of the internet’s future, we urge you to vote for the deletion of this proposal.”

MEPs will vote on the proposed copyright directive on 20-21 June. Read on for more information on what Article 13 is, and what it could mean for the internet.
Keep reading: http://www.alphr.com/politics/1009470/a ... -copyright