EU Link Tax & Upload Filters Proposal - Why It's a Bad Idea #saveyourinternet
Recently, I've been following the developments of a proposal by the European Commission, regarding the implementation of a link tax and requiring websites to add upload filters (aka censorship machines). The proposal in its current form, could have a significant impact on the relatively free transfer of data that we enjoy today. It could possibly serve to limit freedom of expression and it will most definitely have a big negative impact on independent creators.
Article 11 - Link Tax
The EU wants to give publishers ownership to the rights of every part of their publications. Meaning that royalty fees may have to be paid when snippets or headlines are shared together with a link to the original article. This would be quite detrimental to websites that allow users to share links freely, Reddit and Twitter come to mind. Not to mention the limitations it could have on freedom of speech from the citizen's perspective.
It's not fully clear yet what sort of snippets will be included in the new law, as there is still quite a bit of discussion among the EU member states. They might allow for a differentiation between substantial and insubstantial text snippets.
Article 13 - Upload Filters
Websites that allow users to add content will have to implement upload filters to automatically detect and remove possible copyright infringement. It's not exactly clear how they would differentiate between copyrighted content in accordance with fair use** and content that is in violation of copyright laws.
**Note: Fair use doesn't actually exist in Europe, the situation is more complicated. There are different laws that do allow for the use of copyrighted material for certain purposes (education, critique, etc).
Possible Implications
One of my biggest worries is that this would basically hinder the creation of new platforms. Established social media websites can implement the necessary changes more easily, while it would mean a huge additional cost for startups.
Just the basic idea of upload filters is a very bad one. Would you trust an automated system to pick out violations effectively? Just look at Youtube to see how well that sort of thing is working. There are already laws in place to take action against copyright infringement, so I don't see how an additional overcomplicated system like this is needed on top of that.
The idea of a link tax sounds very familiar to me, I think I have a pretty good idea where that came from. Newspapers have been fighting a long battle against news aggregators such as Google News, demanding Google pay them royalties over the use of text snippets. The newly proposed link tax seems like it's in direct response to that.
How to Stop it?
MEP Julia Reda has been very outspoken against these new proposals in their current form. She recently held an AMA on Reddit where she called upon internet users to voice their concerns to the European Commission through savethelink.org. Do sign it if you have 2 minutes to spare!
Sources
http://www.europarl.europa.eu
https://juliareda.eu/2018/05/censorship-machines-link-tax-finish-line/
https://blog.github.com/2018-03-14-eu-proposal-upload-filters-code/
https://savethelink.org
It is ridiculous because there is no way you can setup a system that will do this job 100% accurate. Which means, you have to have people in place to manually take care of things, or at least of some of these things. Can you see someone check all facebook messages before they are really published?
What is going to happen when I post something that by coincidence is also the headline of a news item on a newspaper website.
This is just as unworkable as the law to charge people a taxrate related to the country they live in.
And just as unworkable as the recently applied law to set up a whole department within your firm just to clarify and manage customer data.
The thing that it does show to me is, not a European Union that is taking care of anyone. It is a European Union that has no clue to what the internet is. They are still trying to manage it like you would a paper office.
What worries me most is that no one seems to be able to stop them. No ones is telling them "Nice plan, but we are not in the 1900 anymore".
They desperately need to clean up their own act before they bother us with new plans/laws again.
Yeah I really hope the current proposal does not pass. They seem to have to clue how this will impact the level of innovation coming from European internet companies. All these regulations you have to keep in mind, just to launch a new project.
Same with that idiotic cookie law, as if anyone reads those little notifications.
Exactly, I wouldn't be surprised if it only leads to an alternative internet, eventually. Like the darknet, but without the illegal stuff.
Probably the way to go!
Yes, coincidental thought, i.e., manifestation of the same concepts in different individual minds by some form of synchronicity is as natural as the weather - how can anyone even think of punishing individuals for that? If an idea is good, why not rather encourage cooperation in implementing it, rather than hogging profits by centralized means?
Thank you for getting the word out about this. So many countries are sensoring or attempting to ratchet down the internet. Freedom is what we all need.
Great post! Especially relevant to those of us who continously post series which are heavily link based (like your new Pixabay series, or my "Trending Bitcoin News" series ( recent one : https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@bitcoinsandgravy/trending-bitcoin-news-14-june-8th-2018 ). These are VALUABLE posts to many people here on Steemit, AND they draw new consumers to the original content (and content creators). In MY personal opinion, such proposed measures would ONLY be (somewhat) fair if they were implemented through the blockchain (like Steemit) and thus give BOTH the content creator AND the sharer of that content a FAIR piece of the overall monetization. Of course, this is ultimately a "lesser of the evils" solution...
My biggest gripe with this law is that it adds an unneeded layer to the whole existing copyright system. Especially when they would consider small snippets as copyrighted. Just doesn't seem very fair to me. The original creator doesn't lose any revenue because someone quoted something from their article. No, I think they might even get more readers because of it, as long as everything is accompanied by a source.
That said, there are limits to everything, I certainly do not think you should just be able to copy anything. Use of copyrighted images without permission isn't okay IMO.
I agree - referenced quotes = free promotion. I would not complain about that.
May common decency prevail in honoring one's sources!
Promoting awareness of productive minds and their work is in the end just good for everyone, rewards aside.
Agreed!
Europe tends to come up with these odd schemes. Like the one they tried that only a garage can open the bonnet, (hood) on a car. So an owner cannot check their own oil or water levels. That disapeared.
Europe also wanted to make it compulsory that only a manufacturers parts can be used on a car. It was pointed out that each manufacturer also markets their parts for other makes of cars. That one also disapeared.
Europe tends to like large businesses and dislikes small ones as they are harder to control. So small creaters would find it difficult under this new law and close down.
Maybe this one will also go away, Eventually Europe will be so restrictive on the internet that most of the world will cut them off.
Many companies have decided to cut off their programs from Europe as the cost of meeting the new privacy regulations is just too high.
I personally have closed all of my email lists, and closed several of my web sites as it is just too much trouble to meet all the European regulations.
The examples you quote show a lack of insight on the part of those in control. The tragedy is that the control freaks that get themselves into positions of power don't know what they don't know, yet can go ahead enforcing law in spite of their innate short sightedness.
Thank goodness blockchain tech is providing platforms on which consensus can be reached about sensible ideas presented by whoever may have better solutions, irrespective of who they are. Nothing ain't perfect, because nobody can know what they don't know, but it is a move in the right direction, I think. At least here common sense rules stronger than corporate interests do, when it comes to weighing the value of ideas.
You are so right.
It´s a total nonesense! I will reesteem this post and share it on twitter and facebook. One more battle ahead. Let´s try to bring more people to the battlefield.
I signed this petition a while ago. It's really important. It's another attempt to shore up centralisation of the Net, to curb the power of smaller players and to stop the web being a level playing field.
This is horrible. It is sad to see that censorship is so alive and well in the world today. Although in the US we are dealing with our own issues of Net Neutrality and the governments and corporations trying to stifle that. Thanks for bringing light to this topic!
I see dark agenda to this. Deficiency in accuracy, scam are demerit to the set up of this on system. In my country we are facing our own issues corruption!
There's is no such thing as freedom of speech these days.
Taxation is a theft.