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The Internet is one of the most magnificent expressions of freedom and free enterprise in history. It should stay that way. While H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act, attempts to address a legitimate problem, I believe it creates the precedent and possibility for undue regulation, censorship and legal abuse. I do not support H.R. 3261 in its current form and will oppose the legislation should it come before the full House.
As you might have heard, the United Nations is trying to “take over the Internet.” That characterization is not accurate — but the consequences remain the same: Member states of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a 100-year-old organization that is now part of the UN, want to have more control over the global Internet. Some want to impose fees on websites. Others want the ability to more tightly censor the Web. If ITU member states choose to go this route, the governments of the world will have unprecedented control over the Internet, its underlying technology, and the Web itself. All in all, this is a risky — if not downright terrible — prospect for the global Internet as we know it.
Read more about the ITU proposals here.
When the GOP says it “will resist any effort to shift control away from the successful multi-stakeholder approach of Internet governance and toward governance by international or other intergovernmental organizations,” this is what they are talking about. And it’s reassuring to know that this is their stance — but it’s not a particularly surprising revelation. Nearly all interested parties in the U.S. — Republicans, Democrats, telecommuncation networks, and Web content providers (like Google) — are against these ITU proposals. Expect the Democrats to issue a similarly hard-lined stance against the ITU.
The other side of the coin is that it breeds many lies. It is a meaningful place to openly discuss and express opinion though. With the real world becoming full of angry and armed people, the need to keep it free and open is greater than ever. Although locking it down might force the people to regain social skills.
t was a somewhat bizarre approach: instead of targeting one of SOPA's 32 sponsors or one of Protect IP's 41 sponsors, the Reddit-ers mounted a campaign against a lawmaker who was neutral on the legislation.