Google Accuse Hollywood of Censoring the Internet

Google have slammed the Motion Picture Association of America with allegations of trying to ‘censor the internet’. After the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) failed to materialise back in 2012, the film industry have been trying to find a way to clamp down on the amount of websites who are offering illegal downloads. But their latest attempt has been deemed immoral and undercover as Google accuse Hollywood of censoring the internet.

After more than 10 million petitioned against the act that would have seen huge implications on the freedom of the internet. It was proposed to the US House of Representatives as a way to combat online piracy. When SOPA was announced, it was met with fierce criticisms from both the public as well as companies including Google, who all agreed that it would set a dangerous precedent for the internet being censored. Already in the UK, a law has passed which has allowed individuals to seek court orders against offending websites, resulting in blocked content by ISPs.

Google have now accused the MCAA of using underhand tactics in an attempt to gather support and resurrect SOPA, essentially censoring the internet by way of removing entire sites and restricting content through search engines. The real issue here, as it was when SOPA was being decided, is that by entirely removing sites then the whole of the internet is at risk of being censored. As a sign of the times, the MPAA and the rest of the film industry need to have a look at where the real issue lies, and find a way to update their business model. Netflix have found the perfect way in moving with the times by giving the users what they want; delivering film and TV shows directly. Hollywood need to move fast and deal with the real issue rather than attacking the entire internet, a fight they surely cannot win.