Page 15 - Edge: Issue 6 March/April 2019

Digital Piracy
Every stream and download comes with a cost
HStory by Monika Guirguis
ave you ever seen commercials on T.V. where they show black and white screens talking about a crime called digital piracy? Hearing the phrase “digital
piracy,” you can probably think of someone who has done it before. Digital piracy is the practice of illegally copying and selling digital music, video, computer software, and various other online resources. What people do not know is how common digital piracy is. Statistics show that there are over 146 million visits per day of pirated material. Throughout the entire year there are about 53 billion visits. In fact, 42 percent of the world participates in digital piracy; it tends to be very common throughout the internet. The most common forms of digital piracy include illegally downloading movies, TV shows, online games, software, music, and e-books. Popular items downloaded illegally include Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office, and movies such as Avatar. Since it has become so common, participants may not even know what they are doing. Think of streaming movies and downloading music. Have you ever watched a movie or listened to music through an indirect source and did not have to pay? You may just think that you got lucky and found a good source, but in reality you just committed a crime. Of the people who participate in this illegal activity, approximately 70 percent of
146 million visits per day of pirated material
53 billion visits per year of pirated material
$12.5 billion in losses each year due to pirated music
online users find nothing wrong with it.
Digital piracy is not only an illegal activity but also has
a negative impact on a country’s economics. The music industry alone suffers about $12.5 billion in losses each year due to piracy. This loss was a result of illegal music downloads- which only constitute about 2.9% of all pirated items on the internet.
Money is not the only thing that is lost in digital piracy. Along with the loss in billions of dollars, around 71,060 jobs are lost in the United States each year due to online piracy. This number is higher in other countries that have a higher online piracy percentage, such as Colombia. This is not the only negative impact for workers; about $2.7 billion in worker earnings is lost each year because of this crime. People across the country and the world are constantly losing jobs and are not receiving an income due to the popularity and practice of illegal online downloads.
When people practice digital piracy, they tend to believe that they are just accessing online resources for free, not really committing a crime. Digital piracy constantly affects countries, companies, and people drastically. Next time you watch a movie or download music without paying, think about the consequences that can result.
14