The internet has been up in arms lately about the laws SOPA and PIPA, both designed to protect copyright laws to an extreme level. Tumblr and Google aren’t the only ones concerned about these laws. We asked SDA students:
Are you aware of the laws SOPA and PIPA?
How do you feel about them?
Are you upset about the closure of Megavideo and Megaupload?
What websites would you be most upset about if they closed?
Did the closure of Wikipedia affect you?
Here’s what they said:
“I am aware of the laws. I don’t agree with them. I feel like they take our rights away as a country. I don’t really care about it [the closure of Megavideo]. I know a lot of people are upset, but I didn’t really use them. I would definitely be most upset if Tumblr or Youtube closed. I wasn’t affected by Wikipedia closing because I didn’t have any essays so I was good.” –Junior Ashlynne McClean
“I think the laws are pointless because their reasons for it are kind of ridiculous, because they’re getting their brand out there so it doesn’t seem bad for them. I’m kind of upset, I liked Megavideo, but I would be most upset if Tumblr or Youtube got shut down. [Wikipedia being shut down] didn’t really affect me, but if it was permanently closed it would.” –Senior Karen Oviedo
“I think it’s a good idea, to stop piracy, but I think the way its written will open the door to censorship of the internet. I don’t really care [about the closure of Megavideo] because I don’t really use it. I would be most upset if Youtube or any Youtube downloaders shut down. Wikipedia closing did affect me, it made it a lot harder to find resources to use for my homework.” –Sophomore Todd Petrassi
“ Yeah, I’ve heard about them. I think they’re pretty harsh and shouldn’t pass. I don’t use Megavideo or Megaupload but they’re a pretty big loss. I would be most upset about Dangerous Minds, boing boing, 9gag, or Tumblr closing.” –Senior Nolan Gallagher
“I think it’s silly because a website should not have to account for what a user posts. If they’re shut down, it would only hurt commerce. I would probably care most about Youtube or Reddit. Yes, [Wikipedia closure did affect me] I had a lot of homework that weekend. I thought it was cool that they made a statement though.” –Senior Dezire Otillio
“I think SOPA is stupid. I think its wrong to censor information that should be able to be freely expressed.” –Freshman Daniel Daughters
“I think SOPA is stupid. It’s the internet, you would have to wipe everything off the internet to get rid of piracy.” –Freshman Emily Ozorio
”I feel that the laws are not right, and they violate a lot of first amendment ideas. Somewhat, just because I used to use them [Megavideo and Megaupload], but it doesn’t affect me that much anymore. If Youtube or Pirate Bay got shut down, I’d probably cry if that happened. No, Wikipedia being down that one day didn’t affect me.”-Senior Dylan Payne
“I know what SOPA is, and I think it’s good in some cases, but there are better ways to stop piracy than blacking out the internet. The closure of Megavideo doesn’t really affect me, and neither did Wikipedia closing for a day. Had I not known Wikipedia was going to close, it would have affected me, but because I knew it was going to happen I got all of my papers and links downloaded before then.” –Senior David Swan
“SOPA is causing everyone to say ‘we want our internet!’ but I’m not really affected by it. When I saw Wikipedia was closed I just thought ‘oh okay, I’ll find another source.’ It does suck that Megavideo has been taken offline because I watch all my TV on the internet and Megavideo has the best quality.” –Junior Betty Huang
“I feel like if SOPA was passed, it’s vague enough to where we could twist the law around to still allow free internet. However, because 70% of the internet is in the United States, our laws on it could drastically affect the rest of the world if successful. I don’t go to Megavideo, so it’s closure didn’t affect me. There’s too many viruses on it and it was pretty sketchy.” –Sophomore Eli Brown
”I am aware of the laws. They are justified however the internet as we know it will not stand to be censored in anyway because it is free information. Maybe Megavideo and Megaupload are gone but I can name 20 other sites that are alternatives. Wikipedia and Reedit would be examples of sad websites to shut down. I kept trying to look stuff up and I couldn’t on Wikipedia during that one day. It didn’t break my heart but it seriously inconvenienced me.” –Senior Suki Berry
“I’m sort of aware of the laws. I don’t pay that much attention. I feel that if the government is going to try to protect copyright on the internet they could go too far pretty easily. If they shut down YouTube that’d be upsetting. When Wikipedia closed, it didn’t affect me much but if it was down forever it would be a pain in the butt.” –Senior Katie Clinton
“I am very much aware. I do not like these laws at all. I’ve been very angry recently. I’m actually very upset that they closed. All the peer to peer sites will be missed. I’m worried that YouTube could close. It really initiated the American dream, that people living in the slums can still excel as an actor on the site. When Wikipedia shut down for a while it only affected me mildly, but I still supported the act at the time.” –Junior Cole Teza
“I think its kinda annoying. I don’t want everything to be censored. I guess it ok to censor piracy stuff, but if you are just going to sensor everything else, that’s just not fair. If they shut down websites, I hate to say it but I would most upset about Wikipedia.” –Senior Erin Stone
‘I am moderately well informed about SOPA and PIPA. I don’t like either of them, like everyone else. I think it takes it way too far, that you can’t have anything that is anyone else’s would stop everything on the internet from working correctly.” –Senior Kristen Perkins
“I think they’re [PIPA and SOPA] not actually going to stop online piracy. The people that that are actually going to pirate are going to find their way around it. I thought it was actually really symbolic what Wikipedia did with the page that just covered it [the black out. I mean all I actually had to do is disable Java Script to look at the page, which is kind of symbolic of what’s actually going to happen. It’s just really easy to get around.” –Senior Tatiana Roy
“I’m very aware, of course. I mean, I get the reason behind it, but if they passed, it wouldn’t work out to well. People will find ways to get around it. But personally, I don’t even really use the computer.” –Junior Hannah Alguire
“Personally, they don’t affect me, but I know my friends still like pirating and that kind of stuff. Other than Facebook, I would be upset if Planet Debate closed because it’s really good for speech and debate.” –Freshman Johnny Menhenet
“I’m a bit aware. I feel like they have good intentions, but it’ll be too hard to enforce with too many exceptions like Wikipedia.” –Junior Lauren Shumate
“I am aware of them; I’m outraged, I don’t believe it’s worth it [to pass them]. The government isn’t even in control of that. I’m upset about Megaupload and Megavideo closing, but I’ve just been using Mediafire instead. I would be upset if they put restrictions on YouTube.” –Junior Kelly Goehring
“Yes, they were revoked! Long live the tyranny. They affect my every waking moment. I was devastated [about the closure of Megavideo], but I think it will be back. I would be upset if they closed Piratebay!” –Junior Marisa Pearce
“I am aware of the SOPA act but don’t really have strong feelings about it. I don’t think the act would actually stop piracy at all. The closure of Megavideo doesn’t really bother me because I don’t go on the website.” –Senior Katherine Hee
“The closure of the websites didn’t bother me at all, except I think the acts would be pointless so I am against them.” –Senior Paeten Tencer
“Yes, I am aware of SOPA and PIPA and I don’t think this is the right way to stop piracy. There must be a better way. I was a bit upset about Megavideo and Megaupload, but I don’t really use either of them, so it wasn’t a big deal. I would be most upset if Wikipedia and Youtube closed. Without Wikipedia you can’t do school projects. All anyone ever uses is Wikipedia. But the one-day closure of Wikipedia didn’t really affect me.” –Senior Jackson Schultz
“I’m aware of SOPA and PIPA because we went over them in my English class. I don’t really like it. It takes away from everything we do. It could be beneficial to musicians though. I don’t use Megavideo or Megaupload, so I wasn’t upset by it. I would be upset if Wikipedia closed. When Wikipedia was closed, it was really hard to do my project.” –Junior Victoria Ly
“I was aware of SOPA, but not PIPA. I feel that piracy is a bad thing, but SOPA is kind of going against the freedom of speech and press. I have no idea what Megaupload and Megavideo are. I would be upset if Youtube closed. The closure of Wikipedia didn’t affect me, since I wasn’t using it.” –Junior Abby Sullivan
“Yes, I am aware of SOPA and PIPA. I think that the media forgets that it’s their job to cater to the people, the market. That’s the misunderstanding here. The internet has changed the way people watch movies and listen to music. Record companies profit revolves around their abilities to copyright music, for instance. When it’s so easy to violate a copyright, people aren’t going to nag. The way I see it, it all comes down to whether we choose to shy away from change and restrict our freedom in the name of enforcing the law, or we accept that this industry has changed and retain our freedom.” –Junior Alex Roman.
“I think that the laws are very silly and ridiculous. I’m upset about the closure of Megavideo and Megaupload because they were very helpful when I wanted to watch a movie. I would be upset if they closed Tumblr, because I go on it all the time. The closure of Wikipedia didn’t affect me because I had already done my research for my essay.” –Sophomore Celeste Jepson
“Yes, I know about SOPA and PIPA. I don’t like them. I don’t really use Megavideo or Megaupload that much so I’m not really too upset about it. I usually use Netflix. I’d probably be most upset if they closed Youtube. The closure of Wikipedia didn’t affect me because I had no homework to do that day.” –Senior Enrique Cowen
“Yeah, I know about SOPA and PIPA. They make me sad. I’m not too upset about the closing of Megavideo because I don’t really use them. I’d be most sad if they closed down Tumblr and YouTube. The closing of Wikipedia didn’t really affect me because I didn’t have any projects due. Though, it was annoying not being able to look up stuff.” –Senior Emily Huang
“Yeah. It’d dumb. How am I supposed to steal things from websites if they keep closing them down? I’m upset because I like file sharing and I commit it on a daily basis. I’d be most sad if they close down the Pirate Bay because it has everything you could possibly need on the internet. I didn’t like the fact that Wikipedia was closed down that day because I had a take home Gov test and it was horrible.” –Senior Andrew Calman
“Yeah, I know about it. During 4th period, I was bored so me and Aram (Mazoumouda?) decided to write a letter to our representatives. It turns out that it is unknown whether the house members supported or were against the Acts, but the Senators were both supporting PIPA so me and Aram wrote a super sarcastic letter to them. The Senator wrote back saying they wouldn’t infringe on our 1st amendment rights anyways because they are part of the copyright laws. I think they shouldn’t pass them. I’m sad they took down Megavideo and Megaupload, but they are the epitome of piracy but I’m pretty sure a lot of people used it. I’m be most sad if they took away Tumblr, YouTube, Wikipedia, and I guess Facebook. It didn’t affect me when they took away Wikipedia thought because I didn’t have any projects due the next day.” –Senior Michelle Xu
“SOPA/PIPA is madness. I’m against it because people would have lost the things they actually had the rights to. Also, shutting down one big website wouldn’t have done much anyways. I’d be sad if they took down Google and Wikipedia, though I was not affected too much by the blackout of the latter one.” –Senior Jeff Kuo
“I don’t actually know much about SOPA/PIPA. I think the government shouldn’t be controlling what’s on the internet. I’d very upset that they took down Megavideo because now I can’t watch BBC Sherlock. I’d be most upset if they took down Megavideo/Megaupload but they already took them down”. –Senior Sarah Kellogg
“I feel like the Acts are way too extreme and I don’t like it. The internet has the freedom to inform, and it’s our main source of media and news. If the government controlled it all it’d be sad. Though, the way the acts were written, they were so vague so I don’t think they would have realized how far things would go. I’m also upset about it because those websites actually help spread popularity of the content. Even though it’s illegal, that’s how artists/movies/shows/etc are discovered. If the show or movie was produced in another country, sometimes it takes weeks, months, or sometimes never comes out in the US. The Internet also connects cultures. In Japanese class, we would watch music videos for the Japanese band Perfume, but we don’t have Japanese music shows to watch them with so the only option would be to turn to videos on the internet, which is very convenient. I’d be sad if they took away YouTube and Tumblr. Especially because I think something so trivial like a gif, a picture, or even a quote (as opposed to full length movies) shouldn’t matter so much.” –Senior Annie Tarabini
“Wikipedia was no big deal. I figured out how to hack the server by pressing the ESC key right before the screen flashed to that blackout info page; I could use it just fine.” –Freshman Frank Song
“Yes, they’re a bad idea. I have objections about closing any sites – they shouldn’t close anything. The blackout on Wikipedia affected me because I needed to know what Typical Postfiguration was for Blaze’s class.” –Senior Or’el Anbar
“Yes, they are laws created by lobbying corporations to control the internet. I would be devastated if YouTube shut down. Wikipedia? Nope, I didn’t need it that day.” –Senior Ben Johnson
“I think SOPA and PIPA are super extreme and I hope that it doesn’t pass, and I hope whatever edited version ends up passing doesn’t infringe on anyone’s rights ” –Junior Sara Rodas
“I doubt they will pass but if they do, it will hurt a lot of businesses and entrepreneurs. I think it’s a really naïve proposal. Internet is a huge part of our society and censoring it will only point us in the backwards direction and both individuals and our nation as a whole will lose a lot of opportunities.” –Junior Aine Gallahue
“I think SOPA should be passed. There are lots of bad things on the internet, and I trust the government enough to regulate the net.” –Freshman Sharon Chong
“It would affect my life deeply. It’s upsetting to think that the government would even consider taking the freedom of that worldwide web thing away from us. I have no idea what Megavideo and Megaupload were or are but they sound like dinosaurs so they must’ve been cool.” –Junior Kendahl Hettick
“I only really researched SOPA, but not PIPA. It’s a bit of an overreaction to be in an outrage about it because the law is not even in the form it would be in if it passed, and besides, as it stands it doesn’t have much of a chance to be put into effect. No, I don’t use [Megavideo and Megaupload]. I’m not a thief. Wait, those are the websites where you steal videos and stuff right? [The closure of Wikipedia] gave me one less resource when trying to read up on events for my homework, but it was okay.” –Junior Izzie Ojeda
“Yes I’m aware, I think they are terrible and bad. I see why the government took down Megavideo and Megaupload, but they should’ve talked it out before storming in. I would be pretty upset if they closed Tumblr, Youtube, and Spotify. I needed to use Wikipedia for an essay [when it was down], but I dealt with it accordingly, and I respect why the closed.” –Sophomore Ian MacGregor
“I’m aware, but for me it honestly didn’t matter. I didn’t think the big corporations would let it happen anyways. I know what Megavideo and Megaupload are, but I don’t really care that they’ve shut down. There are plenty of other websites you can get free videos from. I don’t really have any websites that I’m concerned about shutting down, but when Wikipedia was gone for those few days I was in Mustang Minds and we needed it to study for an upcoming scrimmage, so that was annoying.” –Junior Rebecca Tsai
“Yes, I’ve heard about those laws. I think it’s foolhardy to be focused on them when the U.S. has many other problems to focus on. I haven’t been on Megavideo or Megaupload. I’ve never really needed to use them. I’d be upset if Youtube, Google, or Wikipedia shut down. I was in Mustang Minds when the latter closed and we really needed it then.” –Sophomore Lauren Nelson
“Personally, I don’t think piracy is a huge issue, and the recording artists aren’t suffering that much from it. I don’t really see a need for SOPA. I’m not sure what sites would be most affected, but I do know in its current state the bill is unrefined and could lead to censorship.” –Senior Derrick Marrow
“I’m competent, I’m pretty aware. I don’t like them at all. They’re written in such a vague matter that they essentially cripple the internet and thereby the economy. Essentially giving the relatively small entity of Hollywood and Viacom the control over the internet is similar to giving the island of Fiji control over China.” –Senior Cameron Koob
“I’m aware of SOPA and PIPA. I feel that the extremity with which they propose to attack internet copyright is far too much. The structure of our entire internet and social networking depends on the non-malicious, harmless, copyright infringement they are against. In my opinion, gifs and fan art aren’t infringements; they actually promote the original work. The closing of Megaupload is understandable but upsetting, simply because I’ll have to find somewhere else to watch Sherlock and Doctor Who. I would be most upset if sites hosting fan fiction or fan art were closed, because I don’t believe it is copyright infringement. Wikipedia’s closing didn’t affect me, but I think that such a huge site that everyone is aware of getting so involved really showed how the internet is where people band together to fight against something threatening their ideals or opinions. When the internet is threatened, and all its users band together, it’s going to be hard to stop.” –Senior Michaela Whatnall
“I care enough [about SOPA and PIPA] to sign the petitions but I think I could amuse myself without the uncensored internet.”—Junior Naomi Sinclair
“[SOPA and PIPA are] like trying to do brain surgery with a pickaxe—they’re going to end up doing way more harm than good to the internet as a source of information and a source of business for artisans and small companies. We shouldn’t let [the bills] pass.” –Junior Emily Fountain
“I think it’s vastly unreasonable. And I feel like the people who are in favor of SOPA and PIPA don’t truly see the effects of what could happen. If there’s a girl who feels like she can sing ‘Someone Like You’ by Adele well and they post it on YouTube, they could be arrested…And that just disgusts me. I don’t use either of those websites [Megavideo or Megaupload]. I would be more upset if Tumblr was shut down.” –Senior Lonnie Mae Safarik
“I buy most of my digital music, unless it’s not on the American iTunes server or some other music site like Discogs. I don’t like piracy, I think artists and directors and game designers should get their dues, but I don’t like how general the language of the bills are. As much as I think that illegal downloading needs to be stopped, I don’t think SOPA and PIPA are the ways to do it. The level of regulation they call for is logistically impossible and way too restricting. So I’m against the bills because they don’t just stop piracy, they open the flood gates for internet censorship. There are many uploading sites. [Megavideo and Megaupload] don’t have communities surrounding them. I would be much more upset if a site like 4chan or some other forum got shut down for providing links to those upload sites. Which is something SOPA would do.” –Senior Stan Austin
“I have heard of it, but I don’t know much about it. I feel like [the laws] are good because there is a lot of illegal downloading going on. I would probably be most upset if YouTube was shut down. ” –Sophomore Catherine Welch
“I feel like [SOPA and PIPA] are good ideas to help stop illegal downloading of music/movies/etc., but they take it too far by threatening the complete shutdown of websites that have any non-paid for, copyrighted material.” –Sophomore Jen Podgorski
“These laws make me feel like a mother does about her ugly child. You don’t want to look at it, but you’re stuck with it. I would be most upset to see YouTube shut down.” –Sophomore Danny Vasquez
“If SOPA gets passed it will censor people’s ability to fight against the man. It would make the government able to censor any opposing or different ideas. And I won’t be able to watch movies anymore.” –Junior Julian Dennis
“If Sopa gets passed and they take MediaFire too, I don’t want to live on this Earth anymore.” –Senior Shelby Hidalgo
“I’m not that well informed; I’m not going to pretend to be an expert about it. It’s going to improve my quality of life though. I’ve wasted too many hours on Megavideo. I think I’d be the most upset if news sites like BBC were closed down, or email, because of college admissions messages.” –Senior Erin McGrath
“I had to search it up; I kind of think it’d be a trade-off –we’d be more productive. People would use Facebook less because they could only post about their feelings, not any links that would be copyrighted. Everything on Youtube would be taken off since it’s all copyrighted too. “ – Junior Wesley Morberg
“Well, I think that the bills are a direct infringement on the first amendment of the Constitution and that it defeats the purpose of an ever-expanding library (the internet). I do appreciate that it closed down fishy things going on that were essentially piracy. But I’d be heartbroken if it shut down my baby girl Facebook.” – Junior Curt Hauser
“The internet is something that is worldwide and was created for the sake of, like, everything. The government shouldn’t have a say in that. It’s kind of like freedom of speech and how you can publish what you want to write via newspaper or book.” –Sophomore Lauren Shaw