This week, for our podcast, we were asked to write a response to a podcast of our choice on the internet. I went searching, and soon found one that stood outon NPR. It was about a rising political movement, begun in Sweden, and now spreading around the world, called the "Pirate Party," a political party based solely on the idea of internet and technological freedom.
The party opposes two Swedish laws, primarily. The first of these laws allows the government to track all phone, fax, and email traffic that crosses the country's borders. The second is a European Union directive that allows copyright holders to find the internet addresses of file sharing site founders. The founders of "Pirates Bay" file sharing sight were sentenced to jail time and millions of dollars in fines. They wish to reform patent, copyright, and internet laws.
In recent elections for the European Parliament, the party won a seat, and received more than 7% of the vote. Their primary drive comes from a youth wing.
A large portion of Sweden has serious reservations about the pirate party. One man went so far as to say that they simply want everything for free. Another lady said that it was designed to allow file sharers to have a clear conscience.
Pirate Parties are being set up in dozens of nations around the world as I write this, although many people fear that the party's short lived run will end soon, as many established parties are adopting some of their basic principles.
While Swedish government certainly has no effect on me, the internet does, and this is a serious attack on internet freedom that is being orchestrated by these "pirates." This brings to a head the debate over whether file sharing is right/wrong, and also shows that people are willing to go to tremendous lengths to fulfill their goals. While I may not live in Sweden, the concerns of the "Pirate Party" are of some concern to me also, and the internet doesn't know any borders. Thanks for reading, have a nice week.
- Michael Olson
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