“Do Not Steal”

We have gotten slack and comfortable with piracy on the Internet.  Some of the piracy is obvious and we have been told many times that we are not to steal intellectual property from the Internet…especially music, movies, books, etc.  But, wherever you turn, we see examples of “borrowed” pictures, words, and still music, movies and books. There was a generation that were there at the origin of Napster (original Napster) where file-sharing became a norm, not an exception, that has had to be reeled back in. It is true that once the fire hose is turned on it is hard to stop the flow, but if we are to continue to make the creation of software and creative works part of the economic life-blood of our country we are going to have to continue to reinforce and enforce the protection of intellectual property and educate everyone that piracy is not okay. This past week the ISPs started revealing their alert systems.  The most comprehensive announcement to date has been from Verizon. They (along with the other ISPs) have created a 6-alert program. According to an article in Politico last week, Verizon will be doing this: “For the first three alerts, users will be notified that they’ve been flagged as pirating content. For alerts four and five, users will have to watch an anti-piracy video and acknowledge receipt of the notice. For the sixth alert, users will be subject to speed throttling, the details of which are still being worked out.”  So, we should be ready as consumers, but also as employers to ensure that these alerts are taken seriously and not swept under the rug.






As believers, we need to pay attention to our behaviors more so than others. As we know, others are watching and evaluating. If we are pirating, even small amounts of music, or other items, then what example does that leave others to follow?  It seems such an easy thing to do, but it’s really part of our cultural identity and another of those places where we have to be sure that we aren’t just going with the flow.  Think about what you might be “stealing” that if you looked in God’s mirror you would be ashamed.  These are the little things in life that do matter.  We live and work on a slippery slope so let’s be sure that we are always alert and watching our footing.


Reference: Exodus 20:15 (New Living Translation)