As previously reported, Google has gone with a blacked out logo for SOPA Blackout Day (in case you haven’t visited Google yet today to see for yourself).
The company put up a blog post titled “Don’t censor the web.”
The post calls for visitors to petition Congress, and has the following to say about PIPA and SOPA:
- PIPA & SOPA will censor the web. These bills would grant new powers to law enforcement to filter the Internet and block access to tools to get around those filters. We know from experience that these powers are on the wish list of oppressive regimes throughout the world. SOPA and PIPA also eliminate due process. They provide incentives for American companies to shut down, block access to and stop servicing U.S. and foreign websites that copyright and trademark owners allege are illegal without any due process or ability of a wrongfully targeted website to seek restitution.
- PIPA & SOPA will risk our industry’s track record of innovation and job creation.These bills would make it easier to sue law-abiding U.S. companies. Law-abiding payment processors and Internet advertising services can be subject to these private rights of action. SOPA and PIPA would also create harmful (and uncertain) technology mandates on U.S. Internet companies, as federal judges second-guess technological measures used by these companies to stop bad actors, and potentially impose inconsistent injunctions on them.
- PIPA & SOPA will not stop piracy. These bills wouldn’t get rid of pirate sites. Pirate sites would just change their addresses in order to continue their criminal activities. There are better ways to address piracy than to ask U.S. companies to censor the Internet. The foreign rogue sites are in it for the money, and we believe the best way to shut them down is to cut off their sources of funding. As a result, Google supports alternative approaches like the OPEN Act.
“Fighting online piracy is extremely important,” says Google Chief Legal Officer David Drummond. “We are investing a lot of time and money in that fight. Last year alone we acted on copyright takedown notices for more than 5 million webpages and invested more than $60 million in the fight against ads appearing on bad sites. And we think there is more that can be done here—like targeted and focused steps to cut off the money supply to foreign pirate sites. If you cut off the money flow, you cut the incentive to steal.”
Rupert Murdoch has been tweeting about Google and SOPA. He says Google’s argument about danger to the Internet is “nonsense”.
Since then, he had this to say about the Blogosphere and Congress:
@rupertmurdoch
Rupert Murdoch Seems blogosphere has succeeded in terrorizing many senators and congressmen who previously committed. Politicians all the same.
13 hours ago via Twitter for iPad · powered by @socialditto