Information Regulation of the Internet

Abstract

The Internet is the single largest source of information in the world. Compared to other media, very few restrictions have ever been placed on it as a medium or on the content it contains. Recently, some legislators in the United States, as well as policymakers in international organizations, have tried to pass several different laws and treaties that are at the heart of this issue. The first issue is the proposed United States House bill called the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The goals of SOPA are to protect intellectual property and to protect against counterfeit medications. The second issue is the proposed United States Senate bill called the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act (PROTECT IP Act, or PIPA). The goals of PIPA are to halt distribution of illegally copied or counterfeited intellectual property. This study expands on differing viewpoints of students at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire surrounding this control of information on the Internet in relation to these legal issues.