Digital ThieveryWhen was the last time you downloaded a song from the Internet? Did your friend email you the new hit by your favorite band? When was the last time you committed a theft worth tens of thousands of dollars? In this digital age, where information can be copied, downloaded and transferred across the world in seconds, how do we define theft? With the advent of the Internet, the definitive line drawn by theft has now become blurred beyond recognition. Theft is defined as “the dishonest usurpation of property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the owner of it”. No one would say that breaking into someone's vehicle and fleeing is not theft. The owner of the vehicle had his property confiscated without it being likely that they would be returned to him. Now let's take the example of copying a song from your computer to a USB drive and giving it to your friend. What you did is currently defined as theft punishable by fifty times the compensation required for grand theft auto. But the real question is how to define theft in the digital realm, where information and content are not deleted and taken, but copied and shared? If the owner of a music file is copied by a teenager, is he permanently deprived of his property? I would say that in the digital domain, theft deserves a different, more modern definition. The last twenty years have been a tumultuous time for the digital world. From the widespread acceptance of the Internet, to the creation of music, films, and digital media, to the spread of social media, a lot has changed. One of the biggest changes has been the distribution of digital...... middle of paper...... Brendan. “What is online piracy? » WiseGEEK: clear answers to common questions. Internet. March 8, 2011. "RIAA - For Students Reporting - March 8, 2011." RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America - March 8, 2011. Web. March 8, 2011. .*"RIAA - Piracy: online and on the streets - March 8, 2011." RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America - March 8, 2011. Web. March 8, 2011. .*"RIAA - Surprisingly Spry." Glynor.com. February 23, 2011. The web. March 8, 2011. .*Sandoval, Greg. "Has online piracy reached a crisis point? | Digital Media - CNET News." Technology News - CNET News. Internet. March 8. 2011. .