Fault Lines, a new documentary from AlJazeera takes a look at the internet regulation battle that we don’t hear much about on our regular news channels. they take a deep look into the dynamic battle over cyber security. A battle occurring between Hollywood, Congress, and the internet. The document credits sites like Reddit, WordPress, and Wikipedia for spreading opposition to bills like SOPA and PIPA rapidly; raising awareness that blindsided Hollywood and the massive lobbyist with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
The document also covers the Anonymous phenomenon describing them as a people that came out of 4Chan. They describe 4Chan users as crazy, rude, full of grotesque pictures, but also very creative, with “some wonderful things to offer.” Above all though, they recognize that, among 4Chan and the Anonymous crowd, “freedom to express [is] a core value.” Therefore, when SOPA and PIPA threatened them with internet regulations, Anonymous became politicized.
“In January 2012, two controversial pieces of legislation were making their way through the US Congress. SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, and PIPA, the Protect Intellectual Property Act, were meant to crack down on the illegal sharing of digital media. The bills were drafted on request of the content industry, Hollywood studios and major record labels.
Fault Lines looks at the fight for control of the web, life in the digital age and the threat to cyber freedom, asking if US authorities are increasingly trying to regulate user freedoms in the name of national and economic security.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FD9urcUWXw]