Copyright laws threaten our online freedom

[Commentary] Technology opens up possibilities; copyright law shuts them down. This was never the intent. Copyright was meant to encourage culture, not restrict it. This is reason enough for reform. But the current regime has even more damaging effects. In order to uphold copyright laws, governments are beginning to restrict our right to communicate with each other in private, without being monitored. The world is at a crossroads. The Internet and new information technologies are so powerful that no matter what we do, society will change. But the direction has not been decided. Political decisions taken over the next five years are likely to set the course we take into the information society, and will affect the lives of millions for many years into the future. Will we let our fears lead us towards a dystopian Big Brother state, or will we have the courage and wisdom to choose an exciting future in a free and open society? The information revolution is happening here and now. It is up to us to decide what future we want.

[Engström is the Pirate party's member of the European parliament.]