Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a message about SOPA and PIPA on Facebook today. He said:

The internet is the most powerful tool we have for creating a more open and connected world. We can’t let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet’s development. Facebook opposes SOPA and PIPA, and we will continue to oppose any laws that will hurt the internet.

The world today needs political leaders who are pro-internet. We have been working with many of these folks for months on better alternatives to these current proposals. I encourage you to learn more about these issues and tell your congressmen that you want them to be pro-internet.

Zuckerberg even tweeted the message (his first tweet since March ’09):

No Google+ updates though, despite 624,988 people having him in their circles. He only has 118,854 Twitter followers.

On the company’s Washington D.C. page, Facebook says:

At Facebook, we take online piracy and copyright infringement very seriously. Rogue foreign sites that pirate American intellectual property or sell counterfeit goods pose significant problems for our economy. However, we believe the PROTECT IP Act (or PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which are currently being considered by Congress, are not the right solution to this problem, because of the collateral damage these overreaching bills would cause to the Internet.

On the same page, under “our position,” Facebook says:

PROTECT IP and SOPA could create very real problems for Internet companies like ours that are a primary driver of innovation, growth, and job creation in the 21st century economy. The bills contain overly broad definitions and create a new private cause of action against companies on the basis of those expansive definitions, which could seriously hamper the innovation, growth, and investment in new companies that have been the hallmarks of the Internet. In addition, we are concerned about provisions in the bills that could chill free expression or weaken the Internet’s architecture.

Facebook says it has been engaging in a “constructive dialogue” on fighting piracy, and points out that it makes it a priority to respond promptly, when it is made aware of illegal content.

Facebook points to this NetCoalition petition to “share your thoughts” with Congress.