The internet could change next week, and not in a good way

You may have heard about the efforts in Europe to reform copyright law. The debate has been ongoing in the European Parliament for months. If approved next week, these new regulations would require us to automatically filter and block content that you upload without meaningful consideration of your right to free expression. 

We respect the copyrights and trademarks of others, and we take all reports seriously to ensure that your creative expression is protected. We make this clear in our Community Guidelines. There’s already a legal framework that works and is fair: Today we take down posts and media that contain allegedly infringing content when we receive a valid DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown request. We also provide clear-cut ways for people to fight back if they believe their removed content was not a true violation. These instances are monitored and reported and live in our biannual transparency report. 

The suggestion to use automated filters for issues of copyright is short-sighted at best and harmful at worst. Automated filters are unable to determine whether a use should be considered “fair use” under the law and are unable to determine whether a use is authorized by a license agreement. They are unable to distinguish legitimate parody, satire, or even your own personal pictures that could be matched with similar photographs that have been protected by someone else. We don’t believe that technology should replace human judgment. Tumblr is and always has been a place for creative expression, and these new regulations would only make it harder for you to express yourself with the freedom and clarity you do so now. 

If you access Tumblr from Europe and want to act, you can find more information on saveyourinternet.eu. 

@my german fellows we need to do something!!!!!!

THE RESULTS FOR THE VOTE ON EU CENSORSHIP AND LINK TAX.

This it the breakdown of MEPs via their country of origin.

ORANGE is GOOD.

GREEN is BAD.

BLUE is abstain.

PLEASE SPREAD AND REBLOG SO THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE HOW THEIR COUNTRY PERFORMED - EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE EU. THIS IS NOT AN EASY THING TO FIND.

France and Romania did the worst. If you live in these countries, your representatives were all for destroying the internet. You will need to work twice as hard campaigning your reps when this goes back for a second discussion in September.

Congratulations Sweden, Poland, Netherlands, Lithunania and Estonia.

THIS IS NOT OVER.

The legislation goes back for a re-do in September before we’ll have to fight this battle again.

🚨This is a Red Alert for net neutrality 🚨

Last December, the FCC voted to to kill net neutrality. If we do not take action, this will kill the free and open internet as we know it. The internet needs you—all of you—to make sure your voices are heard NOW.

We need all hands on deck for this one. It may be our last chance. If you’re feeling under-informed and overwhelmed about why net neutrality is so incredibly important, we have this handy guide just for you.

Here’s what you can do to save the internet:

This is important. This matters. It’s up to you to help. 

I can’t do anything since I live in Germany. You can do it!!

Net Neutrality is a hot topic because losing it would mean the internet would stop being the amazing place it is. Net Neutrality is the stance that internet providers should have to provide access to everything on the internet at the same speed. This idea is predicated on the idea that the internet should be open and available to everyone; however, there is a debate that exists and it is all about whether or not Net Neutrality is a good thing.

Consumers who think that Net Neutrality is good believe that, without it, the internet will cease to be a fair place to play. Many of them want it to be classified as a title 2 because that puts it in the same utility bracket as water and electricity. This bracket would help keep Net Neutrality alive because it outlaws providers from dictating how we use the service.

An example is electricity. When you purchase electricity you buy the amount you use. You do not have to pay extra to have a second refrigerator (which uses a lot of electricity). Net Neutrality stops service providers from charging consumers extra money to get fast access to websites like Netflix (which uses a lot of bandwidth).

Consumers who are against net neutrality believe that it hinders competition and hurts small creators. There is also a fight against regulations. Opposition to net neutrality is slightly confusing to me because they believe that by outlawing so called “fast lanes” ISP’s and consumers will suffer. They believe that being able to pay to access the sites they want will make the internet better for them and will allow ISP’s to be more financially successful. They also think that the government regulating the internet to title 2 is an over-regulation that will diminish competition on the internet.

This diminished competition would decrease the investment companies put into upgrading and expanding; this will slow down speeds. By having large companies pay for the bandwidth needed to sustain their programs, the cost burden is taken off of the consumer, who will only have to pay for what they are using.

ISP’s do not want Net Neutrality because without it they can get paid twice for their service. They make consumers pay for access to sites like Facebook, Netflix and Hulu and they make sites pay for access to their consumers. They can charge large fee’s to access websites that they deem as competition and they can throttle speeds of companies like Netflix and Hulu if they do not pay for “fast lanes.” Top ISP’s like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T have already established that they will make sites unusable if the sites do not pay their fees.

As for government…  Honestly, they seem to fight for whomever is giving them money. Companies who support net neutrality have lobbyists that pay for Net Neutrality to be protected and ISP’s have lobbyist’s that pay for it to be taken away.

Personally, I think the internet should be classified as a Title 2 utility because everything the opposition says makes little sense and does not seem to be based in facts. The system works the way it is right now. The internet is a level playing field where anyone can start creating and become successful and to me that is wonderful and should not change. I truly think that if ISPs have the ability to charge for access to consumers, independent creators will no longer be able to thrive and much of the diversity on the internet will be extinguished.

If you’re wondering why your internet is slowing down, it’s because of net neutrality being taken away. Companies are going to slow it down more and more until they finally take it away in April and require users to pay to use it. Protest! Protest to keep Net Neutrality!!!!

Hi guys!!

So just wanted to say that, Canada is currently suffering with the while Net Neutrality issues right now, too.

They supported us and spread the word when we were in trouble (still are, actually-)

Please support them in return.

“Contact your state representative to protest for net neutrality!”

Me, a mere european:

Instead of just dying, you should sign this international petition for Net Neutrality: https://act.freepress.net/sign/internet_nn_trump

Thank you, since this is the sort of information I’d been waiting for