SOPA, PIPA debate gains traction on SU campus

Congressman Richard Hanna
Rep. Hanna is not a co-sponsor of SOPA. The legislation is still under consideration by the Judiciary Committee and is not currently expected to come for a vote in the House. Rep. Hanna is listening to the debate and appreciates the outpouring of constituent input. Rep. Hanna believes strongly in the importance of free speech and a vibrant Internet and will remain cautious when considering any attempts to limit either.

Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle
“SOPA is an issue that I am monitoring closely. As of today, there is not yet a final House version of the bill as it is still in committee for markup. When the final bill is presented I will review it closely and take into consideration the feedback I have been hearing before deciding how to vote. Any final language must err on the side of protecting our civil liberties.”

Congressman Bill Owens:
Congressman Owens believes that we need to protect intellectual property in order to save American businesses and jobs.  He is always open to changes in legislation that makes it better, and looks forward to concerns raised by his constituents being addressed as the bill goes through the legislative process.

Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand:
“There are two important issues in this debate: continued freedom of expression on the Internet and the ability to block online piracy.  We believe that both sides can come together on a solution that satisfies their respective concerns.
 
“We’ve had many discussions and held many meetings with all parts of the Internet community – from users, to members of the NY Tech Meet-up, to start-ups, to big Internet firms like Google, Facebook, and Yahoo – to hear their concerns regarding this proposed legislation, and we'll continue those discussions.
 
“After constructive dialogue with many in the technology community, we have worked to make an important change in the bill regarding DNS provisions. We will continue to work with our colleagues to ensure a proper balance between stopping the theft of intellectual property and copyright infringement, and doing so without the unintended consequence of stifling or censoring the internet, which we strongly oppose. We have worked to make sure there are due process protections to ensure that legal activity over the Internet is not disrupted and that the web continues to be a place of innovation, intellectual freedom, and an unrestricted platform for the free exchange of ideas -- and we welcome additional suggestions.  While the threat to tens of thousands of New York jobs due to online piracy is real and must be addressed, it must be done in a way that allows the Internet and our tech companies to continue to flourish.”

iSchool at SU darkens website to protest SOPA, PIPA
Jan. 18, 2012

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – The iSchool at Syracuse University darkened its website in solidarity with several other sites protesting legislation they say would curtail online freedom.

According to a statement on the website’s darkened blog, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act (PIPA or PROTECT IP) would threaten to hamper the free, open nature of the Internet.

Along with the School of Information Studies at SU’s website, sites for prominent Internet companies including Wikipedia, Reddit, and Boing Boing have all gone dark. Google also protested the legislation, placing a black box over its iconic name on its search page.

The Internet companies are concerned that the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House and the Protect Intellectual Property Act under consideration in the Senate, if passed, could be used to target legitimate sites where users share content.

The White House has already expressed strong concerns over such legislation.