The White House said Saturday that President Obama will not support the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), citing concerns that it could limit how the internet and web companies operate.
Obama administration officials said in a blog post early Saturday that they would “not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.”
“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. Across the globe, the openness of the Internet is increasingly central to innovation in business, government, and society and it must be protected,” the Obama administration noted. “To minimize this risk, new legislation must be narrowly targeted only at sites beyond the reach of current U.S. law, cover activity clearly prohibited under existing U.S. laws, and be effectively tailored, with strong due process and focused on criminal activity.”
The bill, introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith in late October, gives both the U.S. government and copyright holders the authority to seek court orders against websites associated with infringing, pirating and/or counterfeiting intellectual property. A number of internet companies, including Google and Twitter, have publicly opposed the measure, citing concerns that it could “have a chilling effect on innovation,” and “deny website owners the right to due process of law.”
The White House, until this point, had not taken a stance on the issue. The statement comes just days after House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa today announced that a hearing scheduled for Wednesday on the matter would be postponed.
“Majority Leader Cantor has assured me that we will continue to work to address outstanding concerns and work to build consensus prior to any anti-piracy legislation coming before the House for a vote,” said Chairman Issa. “The voice of the Internet community has been heard. Much more education for Members of Congress about the workings of the Internet is essential if anti-piracy legislation is to be workable and achieve broad appeal.”
