• 20Oct 07

  Sad, Sad Day for Liberty

  I'm not much of a blogger. In fact, this is my first entry on the tv.com network, but I was greatly moved to commemorate this day and document my feelings at the moment. http://www.tv-links.co.uk/, a site many of us here are surly familiar with, was shut down Friday, October 19, 2007. The closure of the site came witha raid on personal property and the arrest of a man authorities claim had connections to tv-links.

  I weep at the disgrace this brings to the Internet community. It is more that just extreme inconvenience we now deal with.The GloucestershirePolice and the so-called Federation Against Copyright Theft have raped one of the greatest media index systems known in the western world. This is a common practicehere in the States where one can now be wire-tapped and placed under surveillenceWITHOUT a warrant. One can be arrested and searched without probable cause in the interest of "National Security". The Rights that this nation clings to, that has made it the greatest state in the world, is being slowly devalued and degraded like a prostitute. Many of us ironically look to our one remaining comrade on the world stage, Great Britain, as the last great citadel of essential freedom on the matter. Sure there's a camera on every corner and a ban on firearms but today, that does not seem that bad. Now, in the wake of losing a harbinger of free media such as tv-links, one wonders if there truly are any freedoms anymore. Iftv shows and movies designed to be viewed by the public are not made readily available to themasses,what's the point? But there's a central issue here and that is that tv-links was simply just that a collection of links. It stored absolutely no shows, movies, or music of any kind. It was simply an attempt at making it a little bit easier to find your favorite shows.Much of the time, upon finding such media, it was found to be removed anyway from the site that carried it.A logical personwould think that this is sufficient action. Because it is nearly impossible to trace an upload of such kinds, all a site can do is keep removing it per the request of its copyright holders.Thankfully, it was such a popular and well-maintained site, that if one show was removed, someone risked their freedom to upload it again, and again. But to raid and arrest those who want to make the Internet a more enjoyable and efficient use of time hurts the very soul of peer sharing, for many of us, the number oneuse ofthe internet. Should Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google, the largest search engine in the world, be criminalized for helping the online community simply find a carrier of a songor show? Ludicrous!

  The Recording Industry Association of America would have the public believe "piracy" hurts the industry to such a degree that it devalues the work and makes it harder to produce because the investment won't be as profitable. Perhaps this is not such a bad thing. With a decreased monetary incentive, the creative challenge grows andbecomes that much more satisfying when successful. Many networks make their top shows available online for free and those writers and actors don't suffer. It all boils down to a matter of perspective. When is a freedom fighter a criminal? When is a piece of fiction grounds for termination and incarceration?

  I suppose in the grand scheme of things, it is no big deal. One greatforum for new ideascomes down, another takes it place. Tv-links has been beaten, but another will rise again. A part of me is just sad I did not take a more personal role in its survival. I never contributed, I got what I wanted from it andleft. In this way I do feel somewhat responsible. I hope that you will come to you're own position on this controversial topic and voice you're own concerns in the way the world is going. I would look forward to reading them. Happy surfing, and of course, thanks for reading.

  • Posted Oct 20, 2007 5:54 pm PT
  • Category: News
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