Colby Sung is a technology-oriented AHS senior with extensive experience in working with online databases and information and is familiar with the implications of online censorship laws.
Q: How does censorship and internet monitoring affect common students like yourself?
A: I wouldn’t have enough information as I have now from normal sites like Google and Wikipedia. Not all of the information they contain is “legal” in the eyes of the government.
Q: Why is CISPA an issue?
A: It invades our personal privacy by allowing the government and corporations to go directly into our personal computers for their own purposes. Also, It stops us from using the Internet to its full potential. For instance, Google would not be able to work as it does today, because of a loss of resources.
Q: Why do you think so many bills like SOPA and CISPA are being purposed?
A: I think its partly because that big companies are pushing the government to take more control of the internet so that games, music, videos, etc. cannot be downloaded illegally. Also, the government wants to watch for threats to our nation.
Q: Do you think the Internet is a good tool for terrorists and threats to our nation?
A: Cyberwarfare is rampant today. Many people want to obtain our government’s information and use it in any possible way. After all, information can be either your greatest threat or your greatest ally.
Q: What about the increase in government power, if these bills like CISPA would be passed, is this dangerous?
A: Potentially, it gives government authroity where they shouldn’t have it. The Internet is a free source of information. Unlike China, we should be able to use it without restriction or an invasion of privacy.
Q: Why do you think CISPA has not received as much attention as its brothers, SOPA and PIPA?
A: More online companies like Microsoft are supporting CISPA (mozilla has been the only company to criticize CISPA negatively). There isn’t a lot of coverage on CISPA and so its been on the downlow.
Q: How can people combat bills like CISPA?
A: We can write to your representatives to not push for these sort of bills, we can spread the news through social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, we can sign petitions to organize our beliefs. In addition, a matter concerning the Internet should be battled on the Internet.
