Government

Would The House Online Anti-Piracy Bill Lead to Internet Censorship?

  • The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was introduced as a House bill (similar to the Protect IP Act introduced in the Senate earlier this year) to protect intellectual property from “rouge” websites; it’s especially at foreign websites.
  • The Bill is supported by groups like Hollywood and drug companies, while several others like Google, eBay, AOL and more oppose the bill for fear of censorship and hindered online innovation.
  • Social media sites where users may be sharing pirated material could be shut down if this bill became law.
  • The House Judiciary Committee heard a panel of six stakeholders today — five in favor of the bill and one against.

Today, the House Judiciary Committee had its first hearing for the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, which would give law enforcement the ability to remove websites deemed as infringing on copywrite laws and protect against counterfeit goods. Although this sounds like something everyone can agree on, with the way the bill’s current language, opposition worries over broader enforcement and infringement of freedom of speech, even dubbing today “American Censorship Day.”

American Censorship, the group sponsoring American Censorship Day, says on its website if the bill were to become law in its current form, sites like Tumblr and Facebook would be shut down. The infographic below details how American Censorship sees the bill affecting online innovation.

House Committee Hears Heated Debate on the Stop Online Piracy Act

Depending on what side you’re on, you either see this act as protecting intellectual property and therefore people’s livelihoods, or you see it as Internet censorship hindering the potential for entrepreneurship. Hollywood and pharmaceutical companies support the bill as their movies are illegally downloaded and products copied by online companies to name a few examples.

Last month, Ars Technica painted this picture showing opposition’s sentiment for how the bill could be abused:

Imagine a world in which any intellectual property holder can, without ever appearing before a judge or setting foot in a courtroom, shut down any website’s online advertising programs and block access to credit card payments. The credit card processors and the advertising networks would be required to take quick action against the named website; only the filing of a “counter notification” by the website could get service restored.

[...]

Calling its plan a “market-based system to protect US customers and prevent US funding of sites dedicated to theft of US property,” the new bill gives broad powers to private actors. Any holder of intellectual property rights could simply send a letter to ad network operators like Google and to payment processors like MasterCard, Visa, and PayPal, demanding these companies cut off access to any site the IP holder names as an infringer.

[...]

The scheme is largely targeted at foreign websites which do not recognize US law, and which therefore will often refuse to comply with takedown requests. But the potential for abuse—even inadvertent abuse—here is astonishing, given the terrifically outsized stick with which content owners can now beat on suspected infringers.

CNET reports some of the dialogue from this morning’s hearing:

It’s “beyond troubling to hear hyperbolic charges that this bill will open the floodgates to government censorship,” Rep. Mel Watt, a North Carolina Democrat, said during a House Judiciary committee hearing this morning.

Claiming that the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, will transform the United States into “a repressive regime belittles the circumstances under which true victims of tyrannical governments actually live,” said Watt, a SOPA sponsor.

[...]

Rep. Lofgren from California said during this morning‘s hearing that it was a mistake for SOPA’s backers to dismiss criticism from people and companies who would be affected by it.

“It hasn‘t generally been the policy of this committee to dismiss the views of the industries that we’re going to regulate,” Lofgren said. “I understand why cosponsors of this legislation aren’t happy about widespread criticism of this bill,” but attacking the messenger isn’t the answer.

Lofgren went as far to say that the hearing was unfairly weighted in favor of the bill, as five of the six person panel testifying before the committee supported the bill.

The bill was introduced to the House on October 26 and expounds on the controversial Protect IP Act, which is the Senate version introduced in May of this year. Supporters of the bill include union leaders, Hollywood, retailers and the law enforcement officials, according to the Washington Post. While those against include Google, Facebook, eBay, AOL, Verizon, Mozilla and a slew of Internet freedom groups like Electronic Frontier Foundation, Creative Commons, Wikimedia, Free Software Foundation and Public Knowledge.

Here’s an explanation of how Protect IP (and subsequently SOPA) would work from the perspective of Fight for the Future, a group opposing the bill:

David Sohn, Senior Policy Counsel of Center for Democracy and Technology, said in a press release today that the bill would “subject online innovators to a new era of uncertainty and risk.”

“Fighting large-scale infringement is an important goal,” Sohn said. “But SOPA would do far too much collateral damage to innovation, online expression, and privacy. Congress needs to listen to the full range of stakeholders and seriously rethink how it should address the problem of online infringement.”

Several groups opposed to the bill took out ads in major news papers and even censored themselves with HTML code that put a black bar over their website’s home page name and when clicked information about the bill popped up.

House Committee Hears Heated Debate on the Stop Online Piracy Act

This is an example of what one of the self-censored website's looked like. Several websites did this to make a point against the bill.

The only opposition on the panel that spoke today, Google’s copyright counsel Katherine Oyama, suggested more acceptable attempt of the law to control piracy would be to cut off funding to those sites as a way to shut them down.

Comments (84)

1 2
  • The-Monk
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:27pm

    If the US Government can’t stop China from hacking Government and Industry Domains, Servers and Computers how can they stop anything? Hey Uncle Sam, try stopping China and Russia from hacking your own Servers first and worry about the little guy second.

    Report Post » The-Monk  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:42pm

      I’m 100% positive that not one you know about this story from June 7, 2011.
      “RSA Will Replace Security Tokens as Threat Mounts”
      http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=013000G53LTH&nl=5
      Read it and weep. There is absolutely no security on the Internet whatsoever. Our Government
      is worried about pirated software and leave themselves, the Military, major Manufactures and
      Industry wide open.
      Please read the article and see how bad it really is. And remember that this is from July and you know nothing about it… until now.

      Report Post » The-Monk  
    • Meyvn
      Posted on November 17, 2011 at 3:57am

      They practice on the little guys.

      Report Post » Meyvn  
    • Jackers
      Posted on November 17, 2011 at 6:07am

      Are our members of Congress a little concerned that perhaps we’re getting the real news from the Internet rather than government propaganda from the MSM?

      Knowledge is power, and this does not sit well with our political elites…

      Report Post » Jackers  
    • smithclar3nc3
      Posted on November 17, 2011 at 7:10am

      You are 100% correct, jackers. This is a foot in the door in the one media outlet government can’t control. If they’re allowed to do this in 10 years the internet will be the new MSNBC. stop them at all cost

      Report Post »  
    • smithclar3nc3
      Posted on November 17, 2011 at 7:20am

      the court system was an effective method of control then piracy wouldn’t be TOTALLY out of control. That‘s like saying that lowering taxes on job creators creates jobs when they’ve had a decade of historically low marginal tax rates and we have an unemployment crisis. Lowering taxes on job creators creates dividend payments. You can’t prosecute tens of millions of court cases, Einstein

      Hey Enstien,there are laws and courts in place for everything from splitting on the side walk to murder….And yet crime is so out of control that they can’t build prisons fast enough.
      You want to live in a neomarxist facsist government controled enviroment go to China. The last actual uncorrupted media is the net. Because you get the hear all sides of an issue from far left to far right and everything in between. Congress wants to create piracy laws so that all the videos of them doing and saying dumb crap can have intellectual property rights protections attatched to them. Thus stopping sight from posting them. END OF STORY

      Report Post »  
    • Iron Kurtain
      Posted on November 17, 2011 at 10:57am

      In about 4 hours, there will be a posted retaliation from anonymous on youtube and other sites. Guaranteed. I cant see this organization passing this up.

      Report Post » Iron Kurtain  
    • SLEUTH
      Posted on November 22, 2011 at 10:16am

      how is it that we can buy a car and modifie it change it completely to the hilt and thats OK. yet, because the lobbyist want it their way, congress passes a bill. when i buy a cd or movie, they say i bought the ‘plastic’ and only the ‘license’ to only use it for personal viewing? as they and congress say…‘you don’t like it don‘t but it’. so lets not buy it. really, who NEEDS it? there are other things out there that entertains us. hollywood and its actors and producers are filthy rich with our money. the musicians can sell their songs online directly. lets send them a message

      Report Post » SLEUTH  
  • Aaryq
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:14pm

    So now what? We’re all in agreement here. If petitions don’t work, what do we do? If our elected officials seek nothing but dominance over us rather than making decisions that reflect their constituent’s will, what do we do? I hate to be the rain on anyone’s parade, but sitting back and complaining does nothing. Does anyone have any suggestions (please, I can think of one but I don‘t think it’s quite come to that) that could actually work with the morons running this country and the morons voting for them because the media (liberal and conservatives alike) tells them who to vote for?

    Report Post »  
    • jzs
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:26pm

      The Republican position: let’s not let the government shut down pervert websites. That’s government overeach. But let’s get rid of net neutrality, so that the the corporations can decide what you can access and what you can’t. So then they can make websites pay them before anyone can access their websites. No money, no access. Simple. But you can still access the websites that pay them or agree with them politically!

      Report Post » jzs  
    • cessna152
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:27pm

      Pray and trust. Believe me I have been through this with local and federal governments.. pray.

      Report Post » cessna152  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:46pm

      @jzs
      Read this JZS… and tell me what you think.

      I’m 100% positive that not one you know about this story from June 7, 2011.
      “RSA Will Replace Security Tokens as Threat Mounts”
      http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=013000G53LTH&nl=5
      Read it and weep. There is absolutely no security on the Internet whatsoever. Our Government
      is worried about pirated software and leave themselves, the Military, major Manufactures and
      Industry wide open.
      Please read the article and see how bad it really is.

      Report Post » The-Monk  
    • The10thAmendment
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:47pm

      @ jzs
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:26pm

      The Republican position: let’s not let the government shut down pervert websites. That’s government overeach. But let’s get rid of net neutrality, so that the the corporations can decide what you can access and what you can’t. So then they can make websites pay them before anyone can access their websites. No money, no access. Simple. But you can still access the websites that pay them or agree with them politically!
      ——————————————————————————————————————————————–
      I agree. Lets shut down perv sites like Media Matters, yougovinfosec, CNN, communist/socialist America websites, MSNBC, NASA, facebook. Those are just a handful of the freakiest garbage sites on planet earth. They make malware and viruses from your liberal porn sites look like kindergarten level infringement on privacy. The worst of them. There are 2 co-equal in their infestation of lies and propaganda and truly dangerous phishing. yougovinfosec and NASA.

      Report Post » The10thAmendment  
  • scrapadapolis
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:08pm

    You’ll shoot your eye out kid !!

    Report Post » scrapadapolis  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:59pm

      That’s great! Just like the EAS test. LOL.

      Report Post » The-Monk  
  • chicago76
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:06pm

    Wouldn’t want any competition for the establishment would we?

    Report Post »  
  • The_Postal
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 9:59pm

    The internet is already free to say what you will, at least in our country. We don’t need a bill to make it that way. That‘s what the rest of the world has already done and look how quickly they are locked down when things don’t go how they like and how much is blocked on a day to day basis.

    NO NO NO.

    Report Post » The_Postal  
  • Netsurfer2
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 9:02pm

    I’m not for piracy, but I do not think it is right for companies to impose any restrictions on software that is for learning purposes only! I think it would be ridiculous if we starve the college students even more! You only know that is more and more what they are doing! Before you know it, only rich kids will be able to go to college! I’m not for that! Everyone should be able to get a real education in life if they are really trying to work for it! Nothing is handed to you!

    Now we have a problem with backing the European markets on our own stock market! Talk about the house of cards that are ready to fall! Obama I guess will only want to go play gulf and forget it even exists! Without measures, there are no limits! I’m sure there are lessons to be made!

    Report Post » Netsurfer2  
    • 100 Million Patriots Standing
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 9:17pm

      Obama was quoted in an interview saying that he is a firm believer in “incrementalism….a little bit at a time”.

      Of course they are going after the internet…it’s the last place of freedom on earth.

      Report Post » 100 Million Patriots Standing  
  • ares338
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:57pm

    The first thing to be taxed will be email. Since our highly efficient postal service loses billions yearly they will blame email and then it will be just like stamps. Up and up and up!

    Report Post » ares338  
  • computernerd2352
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:53pm

    Hey stupid! Have you heard of Libya and its censorship? It worked real well from what I heard!

    Report Post »  
  • ThomastonPaine
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:36pm

    Fight this slippery slope — Stop Internet Censorship!

    Here is yet another attack on our personal rights and freedoms — Warrantless GPS Tracking.

    Support The Fight for the Fourth Amendment:

    Geolocatio­n Privacy and Surveillan­ce (“GPS”) Act:

    http://wyden.senate.gov/issues/legislation/details/?id=b29a3450-f722-4571-96f0-83c8ededc332

    “Bipartisan bill would end government’s warrantless GPS tracking”

    http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/06/bipartisan-bill-would-end-governments-warrantless-gps-tracking.ars

    Report Post »  
  • Smokey_Bojangles
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:32pm

    Idiots giving OBAMA too much power!!! Idiots!

    Report Post » Smokey_Bojangles  
    • WAKEUPUSA2012
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:40pm

      its not just Obama its the whole system Obama is just a puppet.

      Report Post » WAKEUPUSA2012  
  • scrapadapolis
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:32pm

    Yea my bad but im also guilty..

    Report Post » scrapadapolis  
  • flfshrmn
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:21pm

    They want to distribute intenet service just as they do other utilities. The result will be the same as ALL Federal Agencies……..overly expensive, and not worth a cr@p! The free market creates competition for Internet service providers to always keep a step ahead of the other competors in the free market. The government will ruin and exploit this service.

    Report Post » flfshrmn  
  • conbones
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:21pm

    here is a petition to stop the no piracy act https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/stop-e-parasite-act/SWBYXX55

    Report Post » conbones  
    • Gary_K
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:28pm

      I don’t want to bust anyones bubble, but these a**holes in CONgress are not paying attention to us or our petitions. They are only out to enslave us.

      Report Post »  
  • scrapadapolis
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:20pm

    OK people remember lastweek?They started with a failed emergency test and now they want to try the internet because it’s not controlled by the FCC,So now they have to make bogus claims of stealing of content over the internet.Next are your guns!I say this anyone who has weapons don’t post about collecting ammo or what you posses.They will find you!

    Report Post » scrapadapolis  
  • Blitz
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:19pm

    If Al Gore knew how hard it was going to be to control he never would of invented it……

    Report Post »  
  • philipz13
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:18pm

    I find it interesting that both Republicans and Democrats support this bill, just showing that both parties are essentially the same thing

    Report Post »  
    • YoungBloodNews
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:23pm

      Both parties also inside trade…

      Report Post » YoungBloodNews  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:25pm

      Awe gee, maybe it‘s because God didn’t tell them not to support, unlike apparently God told Herman Cain and others to run for President, even though I think had someone run for President 30 years ago when God was thumping back and forth in the vine-yard warning people of what was coming, but they didn’t listen, then maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation. I don’t think God is telling them to run for President now, but that I think God is saying I, even I am now going to open a can of butt-whooping.

      Report Post »  
  • YoungBloodNews
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:17pm

    These are the golden days of the net, enjoy this freedom while you can. They despise our access to information…

    Report Post » YoungBloodNews  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:32pm

      @YoungBloodNews
      You got that right. The reason they haven‘t taken it over completely is that they haven’t figured out how to make it available to “only” the people that support them.

      Report Post » The-Monk  
  • Eliasim
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:17pm

    Oh let me think for a minute. Hmm, Israel will get nuked by Iran or Israel is going to attack Iran to stop them setting the Mid-East on fire, which will further push Europe over the cliff they are already going over which they will blame the U.S for, which they will blame the U.S anyways leading to them forming a coalition against the U.S which the U.S dollar will collapse anyways, pulling over China with it and Europe, but somehow worrying about the Internet has escaped my mind. I’m only concerned they may regulate HF more, or China may shut-down HF.

    Report Post »  
    • YoungBloodNews
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:30pm

      Silly E,

      Currently China is having major social unrest problems due to it repressive government and lack of women for disenfranchised men.

      Iran is having issues with its Mullahs indulging themselves while their poor suffer and will have more internal unrest as well.

      If WW3 happens, it will be without America. They will avoid us as we will be having our own extremely bloody internal wars with multiple factions fighting over everything from race to religion. It wont be us vs them, but you vs those who don’t think like you.

      Report Post » YoungBloodNews  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:32pm

      And if that isn’t enough, people have forgotten about the cycles of the earth and sun, and people have covered the earth with people because they think they have to insanely be fruitful and subdue the earth which doesn’t mean to squash the planet, but to subdue desire, and multiply “Man” but not people, only Mankind. But hey, since Satan stood up in the morons causing them to base money on production and population, we are in the situation we are in. Thanks to all involved, I can’t say I like you.

      Report Post »  
    • OhioRifleman
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:34pm

      @ Eliasm, Young Blood

      Sad thing is, you are both right. Either scenario can and/or will lead to the other. Not that it will matter in the end, as Young pointed out we will be arse deep in our own problems to really care what is going on in the rest of the world.

      Report Post » OhioRifleman  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:35pm

      Oh WW3 is going to happen, and guess what? They will all agree on one thing – that it’s the fault of the American People, and so you are wrong, because America will be involved.

      Report Post »  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:13pm

    Piracy needs to be stopped indeed, yet this bill will be used by the admin and their allies to crush all hope of the internet as a free market and deny the full usage of it to all Americans. This bill will be abused and used dramatically as an insturment of oppresion.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • WAKEUPUSA2012
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:13pm

    Our government is outta control. 1984 is here.

    Resitance to tyrants is obedience to God

    Report Post » WAKEUPUSA2012  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:23pm

      Given the choice of doing the will of man or the will of God, then God comes first, always.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • WAKEUPUSA2012
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:46pm

      You got that right SNOW

      Report Post » WAKEUPUSA2012  
    • ScienceIsNotEvil
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 9:35pm

      Snowleopard ,

      So you would kill a child or even your kid if your god told you to?

      Report Post »  
    • WAKEUPUSA2012
      Posted on November 17, 2011 at 12:09am

      wow scienceisnotevil wtf are you even on here for. comment on the article, dont bring up a argument that no one is gonna win cause both sides are set in stone ok smart guy?

      Report Post » WAKEUPUSA2012  
  • flfshrmn
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:12pm

    BE AWARE OF LIBERALS BEARING GIFTS!

    Liberals always cloak their deceit as the most innocent sounding, thoughtful and reasonable intentions.
    Then, as soon as you give them an inch they RIP the rest of it right out of your hand and screw you.
    Its the old slight of hand scam!

    Report Post » flfshrmn  
  • lukerw
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:07pm

    And… THE PRISONER said… I am not a number… I am a free man!

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • Dougral Supports Israel
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 7:51pm

    You can bet that if this is heavily supported by Democrats that it will be used to to infringe on our liberty.

    Report Post »  
    • progressiveslayer
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 7:54pm

      And tax us incessantly

      Report Post » progressiveslayer  
    • lodgerat
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:11pm

      I think your right on. The Dems want to control every aspect of our lives. I think the internet we have now is just fine the way it is.

      Report Post » lodgerat  
    • Bible Quotin' Science Fearin' Conservative American
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:14pm

      You‘re not paying attention if you don’t understand that this is about capitalism and protection of one’s income stream. That’s what anti-piracy has ALWAYS been about. Why do you hate capitalism, commie?

      Report Post » Bible Quotin' Science Fearin' Conservative American  
    • OhioRifleman
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:31pm

      @ Bible-bashing, science-sniffing….erm, whatever the hell you want to call yourself.

      IP is already well protected under the law. At any time, a pirate can be hamburgered in the courts by the company that is being pirated, and a lot frequently are. There is no need to add more protection, just enforce what is there.

      This bill is an indirect attack on content, not a direct attack on piracy. Understand how the bill works before you start throwing around the old watchword ‘Commie’.

      Report Post » OhioRifleman  
    • Bible Quotin' Science Fearin' Conservative American
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 9:27pm

      If the court system was an effective method of control then piracy wouldn’t be TOTALLY out of control. That‘s like saying that lowering taxes on job creators creates jobs when they’ve had a decade of historically low marginal tax rates and we have an unemployment crisis. Lowering taxes on job creators creates dividend payments. You can’t prosecute tens of millions of court cases, Einstein.

      Report Post » Bible Quotin' Science Fearin' Conservative American  
  • MammalOne
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 7:47pm

    See how these snakes work? Slowly but surely squeeze our rights to death. Take a breath and they squeeze harder until there’s no air left.
    Do you recognize your country anymore?

    Report Post » MammalOne  
    • ProbIemSoIver
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:02pm

      The global elite know that the two things stopping them from carrying out their agenda is our ability to communicate amongst ourselves via the internet and research subjects of importance, and our Right to Bear Arms.
      As soon as we lose one or the other, it is GAME OVER !!!!!
      The internet has been a fly in their ointment from day one.
      The want it regulated like they regulated 99% of the Main Stream Media.

      Report Post » ProbIemSoIver  
    • CatB
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:15pm

      Of course . .that is what they want .. they don’t really care about piracy .. it is another excuse to tighten the rope on the American citizens …

      Report Post »  
  • COFemale
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 7:44pm

    I do agree that piracy over the Internet should be stopped, Period.

    However, I draw the line that the government should pass laws. The elimination of piracy should come from the companies who are getting pirated and not from the government. They need to crack down on the people who do this. Having said this the majority are outside the U.S. China and North Korea and Europe are the biggest software pirates. The U.S is about thirteen in line. These companies should work in conjunction with the foreign countries authorities. Good luck on North Korea.

    Report Post » COFemale  
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