After GDPR, this is another dark day for the Internet.
Articles 11 and 13, a new proposed legislation in Europe that will stifle freedom of speech and destroy the existing copyright model, received vote of approval, by a committee of 25 bureaucrats.
Despite receiving plenty of opposition from European citizens, both articles passed with a 13:12 and 15:10 majority respectively.
Known as the “link tax” and “anti-meme” laws, these voted articles threaten the openness of the Internet and contribute to censorship.
In particular, per the Next Web:
Article 11 would force anyone using snippets of journalistic online content to get a license from the publisher first — essentially outlawing current business models of most aggregators and news apps. This can also possibly threaten the hyperlink and give power to publishers at the cost of public good.
Article 13 will make platforms responsible for monitoring user behavior to stop copyright infringements, but basically means only huge platforms will have the resources to let users comment or share content. People opposed to the proposal worry that this could lead to broader censorship, threatening free speech via parody, satire, and even protest videos.
The only way for these articles to not become a European Union law, is to be put up for vote in the European Parliament, seeking a vote from all of its 751 members, as opposed to the current committee of 25 Eurocrats; this would require extensive lobbying.
Here’s a link to the official results of those that voted for or against Article 11 and Article 13.
Shame, shame, shame!
25 people making decisions for everyone .They are sick in the brain.
Undaunt – Indeed. Want things fucked up? Form a committee.