{"id":1722,"date":"2012-01-15T13:53:03","date_gmt":"2012-01-15T17:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pro-webs.net\/blog\/?p=1722"},"modified":"2012-01-15T13:55:33","modified_gmt":"2012-01-15T17:55:33","slug":"stop-sopa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pro-webs.net\/blog\/2012\/01\/15\/stop-sopa\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop SOPA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You may or may not be following the SOPA \/ E-PARASITE controversy. If not, as website owners, you should be. The <a href=\"http:\/\/americancensorship.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">SOPA\/E-PARASITE\/PROTECT IP<\/a> bills, summarized below, are a huge injustice to our rights, and the American way.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/11\/16\/opinion\/firewall-law-could-infringe-on-free-speech.html?_r=4\" target=\"_blank\">NY Times Editorial by REBECCA MacKINNON<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The bills would empower the attorney general to create a blacklist of sites to be blocked by Internet service providers, search engines, payment providers and advertising networks, all without a court hearing or a trial. The House version goes further, allowing private companies to sue service providers for even briefly and unknowingly hosting content that infringes on copyright \u2014 a sharp change from current law, which protects the service providers from civil liability if they remove the problematic content immediately upon notification. The intention is not the same as China\u2019s Great Firewall, a nationwide system of Web censorship, but the practical effect could be similar.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Matt Cutts, head of Google\u2019s Webspam team has done an excellent job of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mattcutts.com\/blog\/internet-censorship-sopa\/\" target=\"_blank\">getting the word out<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mattcutts.com\/blog\/sopa-protect-ip\/\" target=\"_blank\">getting website owners and the web community involved<\/a>. Below is a video to help you better understand whats going on, and whats at stake.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/31100268?byline=0&amp;portrait=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Count PRO-Webs as a company doing our part to put down this injustice, <a href=\"https:\/\/wwws.whitehouse.gov\/petitions#!\/petition\/stop-e-parasite-act\/\" target=\"_blank\">we have signed the petition at We the People which has 52,096 signatures<\/a>, educated customers and acquaintances alike. As a result of our signing of the petition to STOP SOPA, we received an email from the Whitehouse. I am sharing it with you in its entirety below.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/email_petition_header_650x100.jpg\" alt=\"The White House\" width=\"650\" height=\"100\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Combating Online Piracy while Protecting an Open and Innovative Internet<\/p>\n<p><em>By Victoria Espinel, Aneesh Chopra, and Howard Schmidt<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for taking the time to sign<a style=\"color: #336699;\" href=\"http:\/\/links.whitehouse.gov\/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTIwMTE0LjUwMDI2OTEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTIwMTE0LjUwMDI2OTEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNjgwOTY1MiZlbWFpbGlkPW1wcm91Z2hAZ21haWwuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1tcHJvdWdoQGdtYWlsLmNvbSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&amp;&amp;&amp;100&amp;&amp;&amp;https:\/\/wwws.whitehouse.gov\/petitions#%21\/petition\/stop-e-parasite-act\/SWBYXX55?utm_source=wethepeople&amp;utm_medium=response&amp;utm_campaign=sopa\" target=\"_blank\"> this petition<\/a>. Both your words and actions illustrate the importance of maintaining an open and democratic Internet.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, Congress is debating a few pieces of legislation concerning the<br \/>\nvery real issue of online piracy, including the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA),<br \/>\nthe Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) and the Online Protection and<br \/>\nDigital ENforcement Act (OPEN). We want to take this opportunity to tell you<br \/>\nwhat the Administration will support\u2014and what we will not support. Any effective<br \/>\nlegislation should reflect a wide range of stakeholders, including everyone from<br \/>\ncontent creators to the engineers that build and maintain the infrastructure of<br \/>\nthe Internet.<\/p>\n<p>While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem<br \/>\nthat requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation<br \/>\nthat reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines<br \/>\nthe dynamic, innovative global Internet.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of<br \/>\nonline censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our<br \/>\ndynamic businesses large and small<\/strong>. Across the globe, the openness of<br \/>\nthe Internet is increasingly central to innovation in business, government, and<br \/>\nsociety and it must be protected. To minimize this risk, new legislation must be<br \/>\nnarrowly targeted only at sites beyond the reach of current U.S. law, cover<br \/>\nactivity clearly prohibited under existing U.S. laws, and be effectively<br \/>\ntailored, with strong due process and focused on criminal activity. Any<br \/>\nprovision covering Internet intermediaries such as online advertising networks,<br \/>\npayment processors, or search engines must be transparent and designed to<br \/>\nprevent overly broad private rights of action that could encourage unjustified<br \/>\nlitigation that could discourage startup businesses and innovative firms from<br \/>\ngrowing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the<br \/>\nunderlying architecture of the Internet<\/strong>. Proposed laws must not tamper<br \/>\nwith the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the<br \/>\nDomain Name System (DNS), a foundation of Internet security. Our analysis of the<br \/>\nDNS filtering provisions in some proposed legislation suggests that they pose a<br \/>\nreal risk to cybersecurity and yet leave contraband goods and services<br \/>\naccessible online. We must avoid legislation that drives users to dangerous,<br \/>\nunreliable DNS servers and puts next-generation security policies, such as the<br \/>\ndeployment of DNSSEC, at risk.<\/p>\n<p>Let us be clear\u2014online piracy is a real problem that harms the American<br \/>\neconomy, threatens jobs for significant numbers of middle class workers and<br \/>\nhurts some of our nation&#8217;s most creative and innovative companies and<br \/>\nentrepreneurs. It harms everyone from struggling artists to production crews,<br \/>\nand from startup social media companies to large movie studios. While we are<br \/>\nstrongly committed to the vigorous enforcement of intellectual property rights,<br \/>\nexisting tools are not strong enough to root out the worst online pirates beyond<br \/>\nour borders. <strong>That is why the Administration calls on all sides to work<br \/>\ntogether to pass sound legislation this year\u00a0that provides prosecutors and<br \/>\nrights holders new legal tools to combat online piracy originating beyond U.S.<br \/>\nborders<\/strong> while staying true to the principles outlined above in this<br \/>\nresponse. We should never let criminals hide behind a hollow embrace of<br \/>\nlegitimate American values.<\/p>\n<p>This is not just a matter for legislation. <strong>We expect and encourage<br \/>\nall private parties, including both content creators and Internet platform<br \/>\nproviders working together, to adopt voluntary measures and best practices to<br \/>\nreduce online piracy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>So, rather than just look at how legislation can be stopped, ask yourself:<br \/>\nWhere do we go from here? Don\u2019t limit your opinion to what\u2019s the wrong thing to<br \/>\ndo, ask yourself what\u2019s right. Already, many of members of Congress are asking<br \/>\nfor public input around the issue. We are paying close attention to those<br \/>\nopportunities, as well as to public input to the Administration. The organizer<br \/>\nof this petition and a random sample of the signers will be invited to a<br \/>\nconference call to discuss this issue further with Administration officials and<br \/>\nsoon after that, we will host an online event to get more input and answer your<br \/>\nquestions. Details on that will follow in the coming days.<\/p>\n<p>Washington needs to hear your best ideas about how to clamp down on rogue<br \/>\nwebsites and other criminals who make money off the creative efforts of American<br \/>\nartists and rights holders. We should all be committed to working with all<br \/>\ninterested constituencies to develop new legal tools to protect global<br \/>\nintellectual property rights without jeopardizing the openness of the Internet.<br \/>\nOur hope is that you will bring enthusiasm and know-how to this important<br \/>\nchallenge.<\/p>\n<p>Moving forward, we will continue to work with Congress on a bipartisan basis<br \/>\non legislation that provides new tools needed in the global fight against piracy<br \/>\nand counterfeiting, while vigorously defending an open Internet based on the<br \/>\nvalues of free expression, privacy, security and innovation. Again, thank you<br \/>\nfor taking the time to participate in this important process. We hope you\u2019ll<br \/>\ncontinue to be part of it.<\/p>\n<p><em>Victoria Espinel is Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at<br \/>\nOffice of Management and Budget<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Aneesh Chopra is the U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Assistant to the<br \/>\nPresident and Associate Director for Technology at the Office of Science and<br \/>\nTechnology Policy<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Howard Schmidt is Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity<br \/>\nCoordinator for National Security Staff<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;\"><a style=\"color: #336699;\" href=\"http:\/\/links.whitehouse.gov\/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTIwMTE0LjUwMDI2OTEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTIwMTE0LjUwMDI2OTEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNjgwOTY1MiZlbWFpbGlkPW1wcm91Z2hAZ21haWwuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1tcHJvdWdoQGdtYWlsLmNvbSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&amp;&amp;&amp;101&amp;&amp;&amp;https:\/\/wwws.whitehouse.gov\/petitions#\/%21\/response\/combating-online-piracy-while-protecting-open-and-innovative-internet\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\nCheck out this response on We the People<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000; font-size: 12pt; font-family: georgia,palatino;\">Stay Connected<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;\">Stay connected to the White House by<a style=\"color: #336699;\" href=\"http:\/\/links.whitehouse.gov\/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTIwMTE0LjUwMDI2OTEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTIwMTE0LjUwMDI2OTEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNjgwOTY1MiZlbWFpbGlkPW1wcm91Z2hAZ21haWwuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1tcHJvdWdoQGdtYWlsLmNvbSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&amp;&amp;&amp;102&amp;&amp;&amp;http:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/get-email-updates?utm_source=wethepeople&amp;utm_medium=response&amp;utm_campaign=sopa\" target=\"_blank\"> signing up for periodic email updates from President Obama and other senior administration officials<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You may or may not be following the SOPA \/ E-PARASITE controversy. If not, as website owners, you should be. The SOPA\/E-PARASITE\/PROTECT IP bills, summarized below, are a huge injustice to our rights, and the American way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[260],"tags":[2425,2417,2438,2419,2418,2439,72,2440,2414,2416,1030,2412,2443,2420,2441,162,2415,2423,2424,2427],"class_list":["post-1722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-small-business","tag-acquaintances","tag-advertising-networks","tag-aneesh-chopra","tag-civil-liability","tag-court-hearing","tag-democratic-internet","tag-google","tag-howard-schmidt","tag-injustice","tag-internet-service-providers","tag-matt-cutts","tag-parasite","tag-pipa","tag-private-companies","tag-property-act","tag-search-engines","tag-web-censorship","tag-web-community","tag-whats-at-stake","tag-whitehouse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pro-webs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pro-webs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pro-webs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pro-webs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pro-webs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pro-webs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1722\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pro-webs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pro-webs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pro-webs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}