Web Censorship Bill Delayed Until After Nov Elections

[p2p rules]

Though doesn’t mean plan to “break the Internet,” place possible “unconstitutional prior restraints on speech,” and set a precedent to the world that any country can block an entire domain if it contains objectionable content is it dead yet, but it will give alleviate concerns that the legislation was being hurried through.

Today critics of the “Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act” (COICA) received a minor victory, of sorts, with a report that the bill will be put in hold while Congress is in recess until after the November election.

“A markup on SJC Chairman Leahy’s IP infringement bill was postponed late Wednesday, as staffers anticipated the chamber would finish legislative work and adjourn for recess before the hearing could commence,” says Politico. The change in plans should delight some of the bill’s critics, at least, who expressed concern that the legislation was moving forward quickly.”

And delighted they are. Critics have lined up to point out a multitude of flaws with legislation giving the govt the power to shut down “websites devoted to providing access to unauthorized downloads, streaming or sale of copyrighted content and counterfeit goods.”

The bill would mean for the US govt will set a precedent that any country can seize or order the blocking of a domain name if some of the content on the domain (even if located elsewhere) violates the country’s local laws

“The effort to protect the rights of Internet users, human rights defenders, and citizen journalists to speak and access lawful content online will be critically harmed,” notes the Center for Democracy and Technology.

Countries like China and Iran can argue that an opposition website contains content that runs afoul of copyright or decency laws, for example, and use it as a pretext to block it entirely.

The CDT also criticizes the bill for placing unconstitutional prior restraints on speech with inadequate process.

A group of 87 prominent engineers who played critical roles in the development of the Internet have also voiced their objections to the COICA in a joint letter submitted to the US Senate Judiciary Committee.

“If enacted, this legislation will risk fragmenting the Internet’s global domain name system (DNS), create an environment of tremendous fear and uncertainty for technological innovation, and seriously harm the credibility of the United States in its role as a steward of key Internet infrastructure,” they warn. “In exchange for this, the bill will introduce censorship that will simultaneously be circumvented by deliberate infringers while hampering innocent parties’ ability to communicate.”

Though the legislation is still not dead, the delay will at least give critics more time to line up and voice their objections. It’s a “real victory,” as the EFF puts it, and means the bill won’t be approved by the by the Senate Judiciary Committee without debate, something proponents in the entertainment industry will surely dread as more and more people learn about what the bill will do.

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