Dear U.S. Congress, don’t censor the internet. I have a right to my place on the internet where I can express myself without fear that someone will block access to my blog without due process of law.
Which is to say that an accuser should be required to prove in open court that something is illegal copyright infringement before any action to block or remove the information is undertaken.
Sure, you will get people putting up some illegal material and then take it down some time later and sure the music and movie industries could say the damage is already done, but that is going to happen with or without this kind of law. The music and movie industry already has the ability (and used it) to sue individuals for copyright infringement.
This really is a question of data protection. Once a movie is out there, it is hard to stop it from being spread illegally on the internet. (I might point out that illegal DVD copies sold overseas in a certain country that might start with ‘C’ probably is more significant than online piracy, but I guess that is a different story) Trying to block sites is never going to be fast enough to solve the movie and music industries concerns and it is much more likely to affect many more people who have done nothing wrong.
It is interesting that so many Republicans are behind this law while at the very same time saying that we need less regulation and smaller government – are they all hypocrites or are they all insane with split personalities?
