Conceptualize a virtual world void of free creative content, one where all said content must be purchased for viewing. That's blogs, social networking sites, such as facebook.com, twitter.com, sites such as youtube.com, search engines such as google.com, wikipedia.org, or any other website where creative and intellectual content can be viewed and shared publically. As a teenager, that sounds like an internet I would have no use for. Would you?

Well, that virtual world may come to be a reality if congress votes yes for SOPA, (Stop Online Piracy Act), and state senators have a general consensus that PIPA, (Protect IP Act), is the way to go. Both PIPA and SOPA are acts promoting a piracy free internet, protecting those whose work may be stolen, in the USA or in foreign countries. These two acts haven't been ratified yet, however the threat for me, and others, of the internet as I know it, being blogs, music, and social networking, being taken away makes the acts both seem unfair and extreme.

Although I very much agree that piracy is and could increasingly be a great issue, however, I believe that even if blocks are put on websites that are free now the tech savvy will find a way around them, therefore not really fixing the piracy problem. Also, the amount of users for websites will take a nose dive, because not many people will want to pay for something that for so long they've been using freely.

As a result of the governments threat, wikipedia.org, (And other sites I'm sure) protested by having a 24 hour blackout session last Wednesday, claiming SOPA (and PIPA) to be censorship which is unconstitutional under the first amendment. Even google.com, although still being able to 'google' things, participated in the virtual protest. But it wasn't only big sites calling out the govt., it wasn't just adults either, informed teenagers everywhere ranted their opinions publically.

And upon bringing the acts up in my history class, a loud discussion about the governments extreme opinion was held. So, I decided to be inquisitive and opinionated, I took Wikipedia's advice and emailed our state senators. Because I wanted to know the mindset that they would have when going to congress and casting their votes; I wanted to make sure that they were considering both the creators and the users, not just adults either, but teens as well. I must say, it was nice, especially being young, that at least one senator, (Kay Hagan), took the time to elaborate to me her perspective. It was a relief to know that within the next month, at least from NC, the debate about PIPA will be open minded, thinking about everyones benefit, not just the governments.

So in your decision on whose side to take, consider those whose copyrighted work is being illegally siezed, but also think about the the creators who don't expect their work to be bought, but solely want to be noticed. The creators who WANT their work to be shared openly, and the users who wouldn't use it if it had to be bought. Think about the students who use the internet for learning and understanding. Think about how you use the internet and how these acts would impact that.

Let me know, do you think PIPA and SOPA will stop piracy or will be the downfall of the internet?

If you have an interest in voicing your opinion to the senate, (Or have any other issues that you feel should be brought to the attention of the state government), you can contact them on their websites, http://hagan.senate.gov/contact/ and http://burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm