Ending digital copyright act would fundamentally change Internet

[Commentary] Everyday we turn to the Internet for the seemingly endless amount of information and entertainment it provides. But most people don’t realize that we can only do these things because of a law passed in 1998—the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The DMCA ensures that anyone can use Internet platforms to create content, post comments, and share ideas online as long as the platforms they use act responsibly. Despite the creative and economic value the DMCA has helped create, the copyright industry is currently seeking to radically change the law to force online platforms to police for copyright infringements on their behalf by using content filtering technology.
[Evan Engstrom is the executive director of Engine, a policy, advocacy, and research organization that works to support tech startups.]