Will the Internet Be the Same Again? | How Will the New EU Copyright Law Affect Social Media Users?

Thousands of protesters and millions of internet users who signed the online petition couldn’t stop the European Parliament from voting in favor of new legislation that’s likely to change the internet and social media as we know it.

The EU’s new copyright directive, meant to give creatives a better chance of getting paid when their intellectual property appears online, might have severe consequences for user-generated content shared on Facebook, YouTube or any other platform.

The directive’s overly broad wording leaves room for varied interpretations of some articles and could harm independent content creators and benefit big platforms.

Article 17 (ex Article 13) is bad for users, creators and competition

Users will not be able to share their content with others and will have access to less content overall

Creators’ content will be blocked, now that the platforms are directly liable for users’ content. No small company will be able to survive if they have to pay for each copyright violation of every user.

Platforms and companies based in the EU won’t be able to compete with big U.S. platforms such as Facebook or Instagram.

What you should know about Article 13

• Social platforms will be liable for the content their users upload
• Memes and GIFs won’t be illegal! Many have been concerned the legislation will make memes illegal, but some types of content are excluded from the EU copyright directive
• You will still be allowed to share hyperlinks to news articles if you add a short description or your own words to the post
• Start-up platforms will have lighter obligations

The backlash from the EU citizens and even from the U.S. asking to not vote for the legislation was ignored. Many individuals were and are sure that our fundamental rights will be suppressed. The legislation will limit our freedom of expression and our right to information.

Many also predict that users will be caught in the middle of a fight between copyright holders and platforms. The majority of the news and social platforms are expected to take down legal content just to be on the safe side and avoid potential lawsuits or billions of dollars in fines.

Some legal analysts think that Article 17 needs to be modified, otherwise a number of EU-based social media companies will have to close their businesses or move overseas. Although the law won’t be implemented for two years, tech-savvy internet users have already found a way to “cheat” the system by using VPN services.

There is still time to analyze and understand what this legislation means for the internet and how users and companies will be affected. Meanwhile, EU publishers and social media companies are trying to come up with ways to protect their businesses, users and freedom of expression.

After all, each of us will be facing the consequences of this legislation, so it’s our duty to #saveyourinternet, protect our freedom of speech and our memes.

POP believes users deserve the right to control their content, so POP is and will always be fighting for users’ rights and privacy. Regardless of legal changes, we will provide a private platform where all our EU users are free to continue posting their content and sharing what they like. To protect our users’ copyrights, we won’t be banning any content creator, and we won’t take down any legal material. To fully protect content, POP gives every user the ability to block others from downloading or even taking a screenshot of their posts. With POP app, you, and only you, control and manage your content.

POP — Own Your Social