Would Internet Be Better If All the Information Is Free?
By: Arhama Nurikhtiar
A common thread that binds many internet users and impels them toward Anonymous is the concept that information, by its nature, is free; and that communication should be unfettered.
-WhyWeProtest.net
It is undeniable that the internet is a very large community that includes many people in any part of the world. As this virtual world develops, many rules have developed that changes everything. The paywall or paid subscription system that encompasses exclusive books or journals makes major changes in the world of education and the development of science. The internet that we know today is only a hope of a world community that wants to get access to information for free. They are wasting so much money that is not small on something that they rarely use. Possible expenditure of funds of $ 40-100 for one year, this is not a small expense to get information when we have to or maybe we can get it for free from certain groups or non-profit organizations.
Internet potential to change society, the need to reform intellectual property laws and the evils of censorship is becoming increasingly similar across sites. The push for "freedom of information" is not restricted to online spaces, but it appears to be born from such spaces, with the concept itself shaped by the presence of the internet and its effect on networked society. The birth of non-profit institutions on the internet made such a big change for society as a whole, like the following groups: WikiLeaks, The Eye, Libgen, Sci-hub, and others. The freedom to express opinions and obtain information widely is also supported by international law. United Nations as a very large and influential organization in changing the world drafted Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was intended to gain freedom in obtaining information and to express its opinions to the general public in the virtual world. Moreover, this discussion is also aimed at an agency that asks for user money where the paywall system will only distinguish free groups and groups that give money to the relevant agencies. Data protection for free users is very minimal and it is sometimes used secretly by certain groups who use this momentum in political affairs or other matters to find accurate data of these users.
Some cases that occur in Europe or some other countries express the same opinion, they argue: The fact that the data is retained without the subscriber or registered user being informed is likely to cause the persons concerned to feel that their private lives are the subject of constant surveillance… The impact of this scheme could affect the use of means of electronic communication and, consequently, on the exercise by the users of their freedom of expression. Out of our fear with data being leaked or exploited, everything has been protected by credible laws. On the other hand, the internet that developed at this time is very massive and has changed into a different place or can be interpreted as an unlimited anonymous world.
Putting this all together, it seems that the world wants free music, free movies, and free academic literature to join the long list of things the internet has made free. Sci-Hub, The Eye, Libgen, and much more meteoric growth still managed to amass more than two-thirds of the output of the academic enterprise, music industry, book distribution. Even commercial publishers have reached a tipping point in their losing battle against the open access movement. In the internet era, the information will be free. Yet the only remaining question is who will pay for that freedom.
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