Monday, December 12, 2011

Legislation by Rep. Lamar Smith equals Internet censorship | NetRight Daily

Legislation by Rep. Lamar Smith equals Internet censorship | NetRight Daily

Legislation by Rep. Lamar Smith equals Internet censorship

By Robert Romano — Do you like interacting with your friends on social networking sites like Facebook, or looking at user-created videos on YouTube? Or simply surfing on Google to find the most up to date news and information?

Well, the Internet could get a lot more bumpy in the coming months. Congress is considering legislation that Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson said would “give the government power to censor the Internet.”

The bill by Chairman of theHouse Judiciary Committee Rep. Lamar Smith, HR 3261, claims to be targeting Internet piracy websites that frequently post materials that infringe on copyright law. But it goes much, much further than that.

“Nobody likes Internet piracy, but this legislation is going to create a regime ofInternet censorship in the name of protecting copyright. This will particularly endanger social networking sites, search engines, and any website that allows users to upload content of being shut down,” Wilson warned.

“Why would anyone want to give government the power to shut down websites?” Wilson asked, adding, “There are already sufficient protections for copyright under existing law, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.”

Wilson expressed concern that the “safe harbor” provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act would be undermined by the new legislation, which protects social websites that provide for easy takedown procedures for potential infringing materials.

Those rules have been in effect since 1998, and were agreed upon internationally via treaty in order to “maintain a balance between the rights of authors and the larger public interest, particularly education, research and access to information.”

Wilson thinks the existing rules already strike the right balance. “Under current law, rights holders can inform a website that it has infringing material and ask that it is removed, and failing that, can already take action.”

Unfortunately, the new bill “takes the safe harbor provisions of current law and throws them in the garbage for websites that have been diligent in following the rules.”

The legislation would also allow copyright holders to take private actions against alleged infringing websites with the force of law behind them, including seeking the termination of advertising and payment services.

Wilson called it “overkill,” calling it a “death sentence for Internet serviceproviders” noting that websites can have millions of pages, and that under the legislation revenue streams or the website itself could be shut down if just a single page of a site is found to have infringing material.

“The bill also risks placing onerous mandates on Internet service providers that would require websites to somehow prevent their services from being used to post infringing material, even if it’s technologically impossible to do so,” Wilson warned.

He said such mandates would “be the end of social networking all together.” Which means it might become a lot harder just to share pictures, videos, or much of anything else online. In doing so, the new law will violate the free speech rights of Internet users.

This could be the end of the Internet as we know it.

HR 3261 is expected to be voted on in the House Judiciary Committee next week. Thus far, it only has 29 cosponsors, not nearly a majority, but the American people will need to contact their representatives to verify their position.

“Censorship is not the solution to Internet piracy,” Wilson concluded. Hard to argue with that. And it is hard to imagine why Congress is now acting to throw in the garbage laws that have fairly maintained the balance between intellectual property and the freedom to share information for years.

The Internet has become one of the most important means of communication in human history. It would be sad to see it restricted. Are we becoming China?

Robert Romano is the Senior Editor of Americans for Limited Government.

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  • pduffy
    Another power grab! We already have copyright laws that protect online content. If a website violates a copyright, the owners can be sued. We are very close to a police state.
  • Any government restriction on the internet is an invasion of my
    God given, according to our founding fathers, right to free speech. I suggest Rep. Lamar Smith get acquainted with our Constitution or resign from Congress. He is not worthy of being
    there.
  • Robert Young
    Contact your Representative and ask him/her to vote NO on HR 3261. The voters of Texas should consider recalling Lamar Smith.
  • Hoy
    Lamar Smith is a Republican rep from Texas. By showing a "online censorship" inside the commie sickle and hammer, does that imply that this Republican is a commie? The commies are really taking over.
  • David in MA
    Legislation by Rep. Lamar Smith equals Internet censorship

    This legislation may not be necessary.
    Has anyone noticed that it seems like certain sites appear to have word recognition applications already in place and certain words trigger postings to be deleted?
    Just like china.
    obozo's illegal presidency is quickly turning America into an islamic socialist country.
    IF we get the oppertunity to vote in 2012, America had damn better well not re-elect obozo or America is lost, it's going to take 20 years to correct the damage obozo and his czars have committed and America cannot allow this mentally ill muslim communist to remain in power.
  • Good point. From where I sit he sounds like one. He's what Tea Party folks refer to as a "RINO" - Republican In Name Only.
  • David in MA
    Either congress is in on the destruction of America willingly, or some people got late night phone calls.
  • I do believe that some Republicans believe as the Democrats do and are assisting with the destruction of America. Smith is a RINO as in Straus the Speaker in the Texas House.
  • fseymour1946
    I agree 100%, Smith is a RINO and he to needs to be voted out of office! America is in extremely hazardous water and if we, the American people don't shut-down/IMPEACH this SOB Obama and Kagan along with him, and the rest of the Anti-American Democratic Party, we, our country will be nonexistent about this time next year! We very well might NOT even have another presidential election, if this USURPING MORON Obama is allowed to keep doing as he damn well pleases! This USURPING MORON totally ignores Congress and the voices of the American people! Hell, we, the people, voted down Cap & Trade and amnesty! This USURPING SOB, by illegally using the "Executive Order" is having the EPA implement the Cap & Trade and the Justice and Homeland Security Departments implementing amnesty! He doesn't give a damn what we, the people have said and voted for! He is doing as he damn well pleases and the GD Congress is ALLOWING THE SOB to do anything he damn well wants to do! My question is why is the entire Congress allowing this MORON to destroy our country?

    Out of 535+ idiots in Congress, this USURPING MORON is the ONLY ONE, who CANNOT prove he is an American citizen, much less PROVE his "eligibility" to be in OUR White House! Why is that! The SOB has submitted three different birth certificates. All of them are 100% extremely questionable, as to their authenticity. Not only this; but the MORON is using a Social Security Number issued by a state where he has never lived! If any other American citizen has a suspicious SSN, the Feds would be all over them, it is a Felony to be using an illegal SSN! These are just two issues surrounding this USURPER and still this ENTIRE Congress is IGNORING these issues and looking the other way! WHY? Once again, if this USURPING MORON isn't stopped/IMPEACHED, he will and is KILLING AMERICA! And this GD Congress is allowing him to do it! Period!!!
  • Not only did I email my own Representative, but I also emailed Representative Smith as well. Everyone who is against this bill should phone Rep. Smith's office.


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