We live in an age where the internet is becoming an increasingly important element in our culture, our politics, our media, and our lives. Article 13 threatens the human rights of not just citizens of the EU but of all citizens on this planet as these filters will likely be put in for all nations. It threatens to stop the forward movement of our society and the culture of your citizens in its tracks. Here is an example of how. 

    Perhaps you like Marvel movies? Marvel has grown to become hugely popular in the past decade. There are millions of members of fan communities across the internet devoted to Marvel; these people do not pirate the films, they make user generated content based on their LOVE and RESPECT for Marvel. They draw fan art, or write stories with these characters, or give a positive review of the film and then submit it where millions can see. They do all of this with no financial compensation. Then millions go watch the movies and spend thousands on merchandise, boosting the world economy. Things like this are FREE ADVERTISING for the same kind of big music and media companies Article 13 claims to protect, and banning these communities with automated filters will HURT the economy and both the internet creators and original artists. Word of mouth does not cut it anymore; to thrive, big business needs to interact with its consumers and allow them to engage with their content. 

     Imagine a world where you cannot put up a recommendation of your favorite tv show, or post a screen cap of the music video you want everyone to see. Under Article 13, automated filters could prevent you from doing any of this. The youth of this world do not want to steal from anyone; they just want a place at the table to engage with their media. Article 13 gags us all, and forces us to become silent consumers of media for profit with potentially no way to critique or to praise, to reinvent or to elaborate on. 

     Whats more you are putting the lives of vulnerable people at risk. How is this, you might ask? Mental health issues and depression are running rampant and for many, the internet is their safe haven where they are able to engage with the things they enjoy. Memes, Youtube, and user based content are giving people a way to find a passion for creation, and for many in a society where the job market isn't good and future outlooks are not bright, it is all they have. I know in my own circle of friends and internet users upwards of fifty people who have literally said that the internet and specifically user generated content on their favorite media has saved them from committing suicide. It has also saved me from taking my own life during a very dark time. Article 13 might really hurt people in each of our lives, by taking away the things that make them happy. If Article 13 is not massively revised, the EU will be destroying the hobbies of millions, isolating them from their friends, and potentially putting them at a life threatening risk. 

     Imagine if new philosophers in the time of Aristotle had been banned from analyzing and expounding upon the works of other philosophers because there was a ban on writing about already published work. Can you imagine how much knowledge we would have lost? This seems to be in essence what Article 13 is doing. User generated content gives the youth of this world a voice; they create memes to talk about politics, they shift trends in popular culture and the results are happening all around you in media, in company re-branding, and in societal norms. In a world where politicians are not always listening and the internet is the largest platform for public discussion and therefore the most important you are silencing the voice of a generation. Article 13 works to silence the voice of society. 

       We care about creators. We care about singers, about writers, about people who put their hearts into what they do, and we on the internet want them to be well compensated for their work. But there must be another way that does not silence the rest of the world from talking about them!!! Article 13 could potentially halt the evolution of society by silencing the young voices who are shaping our present and our future, will undeniably put many at risk by isolating them from friends with similar interests and viewpoints by removing their platform to do so, and will likely even hurt the big businesses they intend to protect by preventing the people from sharing information about them.

I strongly urge the EU to vote against Article 13, and to never resurrect it again. On the UN declaration of Human Rights it says "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." Article 13 MASSIVELY violates these human rights by interfering with freedom of expression. Please do not vote for Article 13. The future of our society depends on it.