**ERROR: TITLE CENSORED**

Yes. The internet is difficult to control, copyright infringements happen and information is leaked that was meant to stay private. But let's take a moment to consider who that mostly affects. The answer is people with money, people with power, people who make their living by declaring they have special rights to something and others are not allowed to touch it. "This is mine. You can't have it. Unless you pay me. And even when you pay me, it still belongs to be and you cannot share it." This is the concept that censoring the internet attempts to protect and perpetuate. The "American Dream" has turned into a race to gain as much as possible then hoard it, preventing others from "stealing". The main issue with piracy is...what? Music, movies, tv shows, etc. all get leaked and spread for free. If the main goal of these forms of media is to entertain, why does this seem to be one of the top issues in our society? It is a problem that demands so much attention because people with money believe they are being denied the excess which they are due. They made the movie and they deserve to be paid for every minute somebody watches is. Sure, they were paid to make it and still receive an exorbitant amount for the legal showings that are occurring but the illegal viewings, the downloads, the burnings, these acts deny them that little extra they deserve. That fact is entertainers do not want to entertain you. They want make a movie, thank you publicly for your support and awards, then head home to their mansion and burn some more of your money.

So now the government seeks to censor the web to stop piracy. In doing so, they hurt social media, smaller websites, and those that offer free information and entertainment. They are cutting off an arm to stop when they view as a difficult rash. And that arm belongs to us. This is just one more legislative move backed by the higher-ups in order to crack down on the holes in their earnings. Yes, stealing is bad and piracy is a form of stealing but should this much effort really be funneled into cracking down on somebody stealing a $20 bill from a millionaire's pocket? If the rich gave back to the economy rather than hoarding their money, building estates, then insisting they not be taxed so much and they are showered with gifts, the economy might improve. Consequentially, the idea of downloading a movie rather than paying $13 to go see it in theaters would not be so enticing.

Think of the money that our government is spending on this issue, on pushing this bill forward. Please, focus on other, more important things. Poverty. People dying on the streets because they cannot afford to feed themselves while you bitch about somebody watching your movie or listening to your music without paying you for it (when you claim to do it because you love to entertain people and want your "art" to affect others). I recognize there are other forms of more serious piracy than entertainment. Web developments, computer programs, and other actual products but I am willing to bet the majority of them feed money into bloated, gluttonous corporate mouths. Show me where the fight against piracy focuses on helping "the little people" and I will eat my words. Unless they have already been taken from me...

Final point. Laws passed that seek to crack down on illegal action rarely have the desired affect in this sort of circumstance. The people who are endorsing and enabling piracy are already disregarding regulations and will continue to do so. This new censorship will detrimentally affect law-abiding companies and websites.

Let the internet be. https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/