In today's society, the Internet plays a vital role, influencing individuals of all classes, all ages, and in different financial backgrounds. Since the Internet occupies a large part of the population's time, many people have become accustomed to current policies and the ease of access to different types of media. So when consumers were threatened by the possibility of change, there was an enthusiastic reaction around the world. Internet users today are accustomed to downloading or torrenting music, games and films that would normally be paid for, for free, thus violating media copyrights. Due to the rapid growth of this illicit activity, legislation such as SOPA, PIPA and ACTA have been proposed; however they were met with public protests and have been suspended for the time being, but attempts are still being made to pass them. If these regulations are passed, it will result in foreign website providers losing revenue, spreading discontent around the world, and stifling creativity and expression. Legislation such as PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act), SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), and ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) have been proposed to combat online piracy or infringement of copyrighted material. There are already laws protecting copyrighted material, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, which focuses on removing specific, unauthorized content from the Internet (Condon). However, the music and film industries want to strengthen copyright protection. The proposed new regulations would target the platform hosting the content, rather than the content itself. SOPA would give the federal government the power to shut down everything...... middle of paper ....../8301-503544_162-57360665-503544/sopa-pipa-what-you-need-to-know />. Cienski, January, Stanley. “Activists appear to have derailed the latest pact on Internet piracy.” Financial Times; London. February 10, 2012: 5. eLibrary. Network. March 19, 2012Magazine, Sunday, Bern, New, NC. “EDITORIAL: Congress reboots control of the Internet.” McClatchy - TribuneBusiness News. February 17, 2012 eLibrary. Network. March 19, 2012.Hruska, Joel.. "FCC Throws FUD at Idea of ​​UN-Controlled Internet." ExtremeTech.com. February 23, 2012 eLibrary. Network. March 19, 2012. MAGDER, JASON., Gazette, The.. "Twitter Under Fire for Storing iPhone Users' Contacts." Montreal Gazette. February 16, 2012: B1. eLibrary. Network. March 19, 2012. Wales, Jimmy., Walsh, Kat.. "Who 'Owns' the Web?" Washington Post. February 10, 2012: A19. eLibrary. Network. March 19. 2012.