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    White House concerned over online piracy bills

    By KEN THOMAS | Associated Press – Sat, Jan 14, 2012

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration raised concerns Saturday about efforts in Congress that it said would undermine "the dynamic, innovative global Internet," urging lawmakers to approve measures this year that balance the need to fight piracy and counterfeiting against an open Internet.

    White House officials said in a blog post that it would not support pending legislation that "reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk" or undermines the global Internet, cautioning the measure could discourage innovation and startup businesses.

    "Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small," the White House said.

    The administration was responding to measures that would allow the Justice Department to target offshore websites — through Internet service providers — that offer illegal copies of music, movies and television shows online. The Senate is expected to consider similar legislation later this month.

    Tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo and others have questioned the legislation, warning in a Nov. 15 letter that it would force new liabilities and mandates on law-abiding technology companies and require them to monitor websites. "We are concerned that these measures pose a serious risk to our industry's continued track record of innovation and job-creation, as well as to our nation's cybersecurity," the letter stated.

    The White House said in the blog posted Saturday that it would work with Congress on legislation to help battle piracy and counterfeiting while defending free expression, privacy, security and innovation in the Internet.

    The post was signed by Victoria Espinel, the intellectual property enforcement coordinator at the Office of Management and Budget; Aneesh Chopra, the nation's chief technology officer; and Howard Schmidt, an Obama adviser on cybersecurity.

    ___

    Online:

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/14/obama-administration-responds-we-people-petitions-sopa-and-online-piracy

    ___

    Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

     
    • Aegis
      Aegis  •  4 mths ago
      Got scared huh? Good you should be. Angering those who control the net during an election year would have been a gift of epic proportions to your opponents. Free Internet and stick it to the RIAA and MPAA!!!
    • halfcat
      halfcat  •  4 mths ago
      Idiots. Why a bunch of geriatrics feel they can make an even remotely informed decision about anything on the Internet when most of them wouldn't know the difference between a keyboard and a mouse is beyond me. This bill would be absolutely catastrophic to many U.S. businesses and a huge impediment to many startups and these morons couldn't even begin to fathom why. Worse still, everything they are trying to stop is going to continue unabated anyway because regardless of what they think, they have zero control over foreign websites or access to them and that's not going to change regardless of what this bill's corporate sponsors think.
    • nameless internet guy
      nameless internet guy  •  4 mths ago
      actions speak louder than words. obama better veto SOPA.
      • Bill
        Bill 4 mths ago
        I seriously doubt he will veto SOPA even he says he's going to. Just look at what happened with NDAA. The beginning of December he said he would veto it and less than 30 days later he was signing it into law. The guy's always talking out of both sides of his mouth. Hope and change my #$%$
      • CJC
        CJC 4 mths ago
        Read the signing statement on 1540. Expect something similar on 3261. What this means as that as long as Obama is in office he will follow his signing statements. Any other president would have to think long and hard about constitutionality before the executive branch acts under these. People, I encourage you to read the bills in their entirety before simply adopting a position based on what the media tells you. Read it, think about it, draw your own conclusion. Then decide whether or not you think the bill should be adopted, amended or something else. Otherwise you are simply participating in a one question poll and clicking the "like" button.
      • Sunshine
        Sunshine 4 mths ago
        He will refuse to sign the SOPA bill. He does stand by his word. See record.
    • everything4lessstore.com
      everything4lessstore.com  •  4 mths ago
      These are the scumbags who need to be thrown out.
      The Stop Online Piracy Act was introduced by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) and was initially co-sponsored by Howard Berman (D-CA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Steve Chabot (R-OH), John Conyers (D-MI), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Timothy Griffin (R-AR), Dennis A. Ross (R-FL), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Lee Terry (R-NE). As of December 17, 2011, there were 31 sponsors.
      • PB
        PB 4 mths ago
        Thank you....
      • A Yahoo! User 4 mths ago
        Mary Bono Mack- taking over Cher's sloppy seconds. Already divorced twice since Sonny died, gold digger. Thinks copy write should last forever.
      • Sunshine
        Sunshine 4 mths ago
        Notice how many of them are Tea Party canidates. Elected by the far right wing. And most of whom will do anything they can to stop any bill the President asks for.
    • S
      S  •  Dallas, Texas  •  4 mths ago
      I would be thrilled but Obama said the same thing about the NDDA before he signed THAT bill as well, albeit with one revision and signing statements. Now is not the time to let up the pressure. Learn about SOPA and what you can do to stop it.

      Search for: Stop SOPA save the internet say no to American Censorship.
      • S
        S 4 mths ago
        Meant to say the *NDAA*
    • Sir, I Exist
      Sir, I Exist  •  4 mths ago
      he signed the ndaa he will sign a watered down sopa that still gives gov powers to censor the average joe
    • Tiger
      Tiger  •  4 mths ago
      We sure could a new party, lets revive America if its possible.
    • McC
      McC  •  4 mths ago
      this bill will do nothing to stop the problem and just open the gov up to getting more involved in our lives. It takes a court order to block a site, this takes time, so the people involved just start up another site, transfer the data to it, and they are back in business. We should all be worried about this passing.
    • Mike A
      Mike A  •  4 mths ago
      Since they failed on Jobs, Economy, Foreign Policy, Domestic Policy, Health Care, Alternative Medicine, and trade bills a 6 year old wouldn't sign, Lets fix the Internet. Congress is a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Kif
      Kif  •  4 mths ago
      It's especially amusing that they've used reasons like "managing passwords will be easier" in trying to sell us the death of the free internet.
    • chrisw
      chrisw  •  4 mths ago
      what will happen in the end is obama siding with the Republicans- again!! faking outrage and great concern now, but all the while preparing to cave in to the sponsors, remember their concern for the defense bill's amendment authorizing indefinite detention of american citizens on u.s. soil- then signing the legislation? he makes jimmy carter look like general patton
    • Author - The Third Cell
      Author - The Third Cell  •  Boca Raton, Florida  •  4 mths ago
      What they're not telling you is that this bill will prevent millions of U.S. citizens from buying discounted drugs from Canada. I can guarantee you that the pharmaceutical companies are behind this legislation. It's a smokescreen to screw over the U.S. consumers who are getting their medicines at 50 - 80% less than in the United States.
      • A Yahoo! User 4 mths ago
        on what fact do you base this statement on; would love to read the article that helped you make this statement:
      • PB
        PB 4 mths ago
        Wow... someone finally made a reasonable point... about preventing access to offshore drugs.... that's what this is about, not being able to get at anything "they" consider piracy, not just about downloading overpriced movies and half-baked modern porn.
      • John
        John 4 mths ago
        Basically every company who is in on this wants more money. I
    • Liberty
      Liberty  •  Reno, Nevada  •  4 mths ago
      these politicians take our freedoms daily, and you suckers welcome it.
    • Erik
      Erik  •  Missoula, Montana  •  4 mths ago
      remember Obama was "concerned " about the Indefinate Detaining bill but He still signed it
    • Work1ders
      Work1ders  •  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  •  4 mths ago
      Looks like SOPA is about forcing major internet service providers to track people's web sites for content, that could be construed as "pirated". That could definitely limit freedom of expression and one's ability to create online businesses. Although no blood will drop, this online war could eventually lead to taxing the internet; now that online goods and services are open for attack. Watch what happens here!
    • SpankysPizza
      SpankysPizza  •  4 mths ago
      technical crooks will figure out how to bypass this in... oh wait... they already have...
    • Edmarc
      Edmarc  •  Montgomery, Alabama  •  4 mths ago
      People like this want to take away our freedom. They must be stopped.
    • Jim
      Jim  •  4 mths ago
      Any time the Feds offer to help, be afraid, very afrad.
    • Alex
      Alex  •  Denver, Colorado  •  4 mths ago
      So much for "less government oversight" and "eliminate regulations" and "free market can adjust itself" mottos
    • A Yahoo! User  •  4 mths ago
      Wow, I'm surprised Obama administration is not in favor of this. Good to see the white house express concern, maybe we can remove or change these bills. Nothing good would come out of these bills congress is trying to pass.
     Post a comment
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