INTERNET FREEDOM. Take a look at the past, present, and future of Internet freedom.
Editor's Note: This is the first of a 3-part piece on Internet freedom and the future ahead.
MANILA, Philippines - While 2012 was a year where the Filipino people had to band together to stop a cybercrime law, 2013 may very well be the year for the world to maintain a vigil for their rights on the Internet.
To look forward, let's take a quick look back at some points where the future of the Internet was in jeopardy, and then see what 2013 might hold for the fate of the worldwide web.
2011 and the Internet
2011 saw the introduction of some major legislation in other parts of the world. In the United States, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) were there to give Internet users a headache. Both sought to stop copyright infringement online, but the implementation seemed prone for abuses and reduced the potential freedom of expression of people in the US and outside it.
Both SOPA and PIPA faced a significant backlash from users worldwide, with protests against SOPA and PIPA culminating in what was called American Censorship Day on November 16, 2011. The two are basically stalled, though those opposing the SOPA and PIPA are working to kill the acts entirely.
INTERNET REGULATION. SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA were all part of 2011's developing rhetoric on Internet freedoms.
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), while drafted in 2010, was formally published in 2011. This multinational treaty was made to create international standards for enforcing intellectual property rights, including things like digital piracy.
This particular agreement shares some of the same issues that SOPA and PIPA had, namely issues with freedom of expression and privacy rights, and is perhaps even more secretive in the way it was held than SOPA and PIPA. Despite this, however, Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States have signed the agreement in 2011, with more signing in 2012.
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