Music
Nigerian pop star thinks cutting people's fingers off will curb piracy
by Tyler Munro
August 1, 2014
For as long as people have been producing content, other, more insidious people have been stealing it. But when Napster took off in 1999, anti-piracy measures evolved alongside. From astronomical fines to awkward public service announcements (dude, we’d totally download a car if we could), the music and film industries were at a loss on how to stop people from stealing their shit.
Almost twenty—yes, twenty—years later, they’re still shovelling water. But one Nigerian artist thinks she has the solution: Just cut their fingers off.
Partly as a horrifying punitive measure and partly as a preventative effort against re-offenders, because you apparently can’t use the internet if you’re missing your index finger, Stella Monye says horrifying violence is the best deterrent to piracy.
“Cutting their fingers off will stop them, by the time you cut off two people’s fingers others will stop,” said Monye to the News agency of Nigeria. “If their fingers are cut, they won’t [be able to use the hands] in pirating the works.”
While clearly incredibly excessive, Monye thinks amputation is the easiest way to teach pirates a lesson. “Without a drastic measure,” she says, “they won’t stop.”
And sure, she might be right. While you might not need your fingers to click your mouse, have fun typing without ’em. And don’t get us started on the consequence for chronic porn consumers. [h/t Torrent Freak]