DIGITAL LIFE

Is the internet on the brink of ending? The discussion that Wuant came to rekindle

It is one of the most influential youtubers in Portugal today and this week left thousands of fans in an uproar by claiming that we can watch the end of the internet soon.
We speak of Paulo Borges, better known as Wuant, and admits that the finding of this fact, which may call into question his career, came when he received a letter from YouTube.
"If YouTube is concerned about this, I also have to be," he says, referring to Article 13, a directive that was approved in September by the European Commission and aims to make an assessment of the content before they reach the internet, with the aim of protecting copyright.
"Google is likely to cease to exist as it currently exists in the European Union. Social networks like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, whatever, will lead to restrictions and can probably be blocked. And a lot of people are saying that this is the end of the Internet and I agree, "says Wuant.
The video 'My channel will be deleted' was shared on Monday and panic was installed. Reactions to the video include comments from people saying they will emigrate, that we are about to return to the dictatorship and many question what will happen to their lives without the existence of the internet. "Let's play the monkey again?"
But what does this article imply? Its approval is not consensual, in fact, and will again vote in January next year. The directive refers to copyright in the digital single market and establishes that platforms such as YouTube or Facebook will have automatic mechanisms to prevent the publication of images or videos protected by these rights.
For Wuant, this law interferes with the lives of those who use the internet as a way to make money, as it is their case, but also with millions of simple consumers who will be restricted in what they can access. The article will "prevent millions of people in Europe from uploading content on platforms like YouTube and European visitors would lose access to billions of videos around the world," he says.
The opinion is shared by Internet servants, Tim Berners-Lee, who speaks in the video, who believes that the internet will become a way to control users.
On the other side, we find singers and record companies that defend the need for greater control in copyright protection.
"Will we be ready to watch the end of the internet?" Wuant asks, urging his followers to sign a petition and investigate further.The answer is not right, but freedom on the internet, as we know it today, may be compromised. Andrea Pinto, Portugal