3 Interesting Online Articles So Far in 2012
2012 is set to be an interesting year for the online space (and in general if you believe the Mayans!), with several headlines already shaking the industry only 1 month into the year. Below are some interesting articles that have made a significant splash in the world of online so far this year:
1. ‘SOPA Is Dead: Smith Pulls Bill’ on Mashable:
If you’ve got any kind of interest in the online space then you’ve no doubt heard of SOPA, the “anti-piracy” bill that the US congress tried to pass in January this year. Due to the extremely vague nature of the content within the bill, along with the fact that a bill like this has the potential to destroy the freedom of the internet as we know it, many large online corporations voiced their concern, opposing the bill. Some of these companies include Wikipedia which went offline for 24 hours to protest the bill, Google, and many others. After seeing the huge outcry made by the general public, as well as major corporations such as Google, the sponsor of the bill (Lamar Smith) decided to pull the bill “until there is wider agreement on a solution”. I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll hear on the matter though.
2. ‘A Company Grows Up: Facebook Goes Public’ on Yahoo7:
This article covers off the details of Facebook’s upcoming move into the public company sector, as well as speculating on what this change could mean for the company in the long term. Will the new need to please investors rather than just Facebook users effect the product? and in what way? These are the questions that a lot of people are asking in the lead up to the historical event for the world of online.
3. ‘Anonymous Retaliates Against MegaUpload Takedown, Knocks MPAA, RIAA Sites Offline’ on PCWorld:
After US government agencies shut down the popular file sharing site ‘MegaUpload’ and arrested 4 of it’s key executives due to mass copyright infringement (amongst other things), the hacker group known as ‘Anonymous’ went on a rampage of revenge, taking down any site belonging to US agencies involved in the shutting down of MegaUpload. The list included the FBI website, the US Department of Justice, and also some major entertainment websites such as Universal Music. The event was the biggest we’ve seen to date from the ‘Anonymous’ hacker group and gave us a scary indication of what can happen when you upset the majority.
As you can see, it’s been an eventful 2012 so far! Let’s see what happens with the remaining 11 months.
