Police in Sweden and Belgium arrested ten people today who were involved in Internet piracy. Not that Computers As Humans wishes to condone it in any way, but Internet piracy actually sounds kind of cool when you first hear about it.
However the truth is that Internet pirates just aren't as cool as real pirates were. Although they are far less violent which of course is good. These pirates weren't arrested for robbing or pillaging anyone. Their crime? Posting illegal copies of movies and television shows online.
Now I ask you, is this what piracy has come to? In the old days being branded a pirate was serious business and could get you killed. And with good reason. Pirates on the high seas stole chests full of doubloon and held damsels for ransom, often killing or maiming in the process. Nowadays being branded a pirate is apparently as easy as posting a link to an illegal copy of "Kick Ass" in a chat room.
However just as the crime of Internet piracy is generally less severe, so is the punishment. All of the people who were arrested in Sweden during today's raids have already been let go.
And where's the punishment in that? These guys have just had their street cred boosted big time. I guarantee you that tonight there will be five guys hanging around at bars in Sweden chatting up girls by saying things like, "You know I was arrested for piracy today."
No comments:
Post a Comment