Drowning under a pile of books, trying to keep up with all the mandatory readings, you feel time slipping through your fingers and are not sure if you are going to make it in time. Suddenly, you remind yourself that there is another book that you completely forgot you were supposed to read for your Monday class. It is Saturday evening. The libraries are closed on Sunday, and the book costs €30 (you have already bought three of them this week). There is one more solution that comes to mind: a magical place called the Internet. You type in the title of your book, and suddenly the rescue appears: a big, bold, black logo on a shining white background — Anna’s Archive. You have no idea who this Anna is, but if she is going to help you — why not?
This is a situation many students have experienced at least once in their academic lives. Curious about how common this really is, I asked students whether they had ever used a website like Anna’s Archive. I received 62 responses, 61 per cent of which came from people who said they had used one at least once. Most of those who answered “yes” were students from the humanities. But when you click “download”, where exactly do you draw the line between accessing knowledge and stealing it?
Anna’s Archive describes itself as “the largest truly open library in human history”, and its vast collection certainly makes that claim difficult to ignore. Rare academic articles, magazines, comics and books that are not accessible anywhere else – all of these and more can be found on this inconspicuous website. However, let us consider the question: how much does this treasure cost? The answer is simple: someone has to pay for it. Writing an academic paper or a book demands great sacrifice from the person who takes up the gauntlet. Hours of research, months of writing, days of analysing, only to receive little or no financial reward at the end. The publishing industry is a whole economic system employing a great number of people for whom this work is both a source of income and a contribution to the world of knowledge. Piracy websites like Anna’s Archive complicate this system by making it harder for authors and publishers to earn money from their work.
On the other hand, should knowledge be restricted at all? To explore the ethical side of this issue, I asked the same students another question. This time, I received 51 responses, 98 per cent of which said that they considered it morally acceptable for students to use websites like Anna’s Archive. However, many emphasised that this would not be their first choice, but rather a last resort when other sources were inaccessible for various reasons. They frequently mentioned the financial burden of acquiring knowledge, while also expressing deep respect for independent booksellers, authors and their copyrights.
It would be a sin not to mention the differences between students’ financial situations. When access to knowledge depends on how much you can afford, the gap between students only grows, making education and culture more accessible to some than to others. Such websites can help bridge these inequalities, making knowledge accessible to people who might otherwise be excluded from it. Not only financial inequalities may be seen in this situation, but also geographical ones. Some books and other sources may not be accessible in certain countries, which can make research less relevant or accessible to particular groups. Knowledge creates knowledge, and it may be considered a public good, so perhaps it is not so morally wrong to spread it this way?
The morality behind using websites such as Anna’s Archive is a complex issue with many different factors at play. There are many circumstances that may leave students with an ultimatum: either use such a website or face the consequences of not having access to the knowledge they need. Telling someone to “just buy a book”, “go to the library”, or “buy an ebook” hides the assumption that they are privileged enough to afford it, when this is not always the case. Of course, buying the book you need is a great way to support authors and booksellers, but using Anna’s Archive does not make you a heartless criminal who simply scavenges the internet for pirated material.
Maybe instead of asking whether it is ethical or not, it is worth trying to find a solution that would eliminate the need for these websites to exist in the first place. Until then, I suppose we will keep meeting Anna on Saturday evenings, when the library is closed, and the textbooks cost an arm and a leg.
