Hey! Girl and girl! A filtering system for internet uploads doesn't sound that bad. It's for safety, not censorship, right? Here's a glimpse at how well it works now. Samsung used filters like these to take down videos they didn't like, which were mocking their exploding phones. A video of a purring cat was deemed piracy of a song on not by one, but two records labels. Yes, Mr. Whiskers, you'll be getting that platinum record in the mail real soon. An anti-piracy firm took down an entire list of videos with the word pixels in the title, just to protect their movie pixels, a failed attempt at a blockbuster. I'm kidding, we are all gonna die. Fox censored video game footage from an old 1980s game after Foundry Guy used a clip from that very same video and episode. A Harvard lecture on copyright problems was taken down because of copyright problems. And the complex business models that capitalize on those rights? These things happen all the time. We only hear about them when people fight back, but most creators don't have to know how and can easily be intimidated with a lawyer's letter. The easiest way to remove something from the internet now is to accuse a creator of infringing copyright. Copyright law has specific checks and balances that grant you the freedom to remix, document, parody, critique, or reference a work without anyone's permission, but automated filters often ignore the law in order to enforce it. Film critics regularly have their negative reviews buried through copyright takedowns. Political speech gets censored when it criticizes politicians or news outlets. Musicians get extorted by people who claim ownership over music that's not theirs. Institutions and bloggers are sued in order to silence criticism and to have information concealed. Copyright is also used to keep mistakes or embarrassment out of the public eye. By companies, the silence researchers that try to unmask them, and even famous speeches about freedom are being taken down. There are no rules in place for abusers, and there are no automated robots who can distinguish between legal and illegal uses. Even complaints from trusted sources have a 99.95% probability they're not even real. An upload filter with an extreme view on ownership, blows with stifle creativity and innovation. Are you sure you're ready for this brave new internet?