Facebook has expressed their relief this afternoon at the House and Senate decisions to delay action on SOPA and PIPA for the time being. Here is the posting from the page for Facebook’s Washington, D.C. office:
We are relieved that Congress has recognized the serious damage the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) could cause to the Internet and are pleased that congressional leaders have decided not to move forward on these bills. We want to thank the millions of Facebook users who shared their views with us, with members of Congress, and with their friends and families on this important issue, and who changed the direction of this harmful legislation. We appreciate that lawmakers have listened to our community’s concerns, and we stand ready to work with them on solutions to piracy and copyright infringement that will not chill free expression or threaten the economic growth and innovation the Internet provides. You can read more about Facebook’s view on this legislation by clicking the “Anti-Piracy Bills” tab on the left side of the Facebook Washington DC page.
1 hour ago · 3,159 likes · 221 comments
Support for SOPA and PIPA in Congress has been plummeting in the wake of the Wednesday’s SOPA Blackout as senators and representatives have rushed to withdraw their support for the bills. This morning Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the Senate’s vote on PIPA, which has been scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed. Shortly afterwards Representative Lamar Smith, the man who wrote SOPA, announced that he had heard and took seriously the concerns of the legislation’s critics and that the House Judiciary Committee would not be moving forward on the bill until broader consensus was reached.
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