Teaching the Ethics of Media Pirating

Most would agree that illegally distributing copied CDs and DVDs is morally wrong. The principle is often taught to or reinforced in people as they grow up. However, people generally have no scruples about downloading or distributing digital media on the internet. This may be because children are not taught that downloading "free" media is unethical behavior; likely the thought that downloading pirated media is stealing has never crossed the minds of many people. I believe though that the lion's share of illegal downloaders know that their actions are just as wrong as if they'd pirated and distributed physical CDs. Their personal justification lies in the feeling of anonymity that the internet provides. The root cause of their crimes is not ignorance but rather a lack of moral fiber. If we are to truly put an end to online media pirating, we must help people to have more integrity. They must want to uphold the law whether or not somebody is watching and must try to encourage others to obey the law is well. If we can encourage better integrity in our society, online media pirating (as well as many other unethical deeds) would be much less frequent than it would by simply doing a better job of teaching people that illegal downloads are unethical.