Better ways than SOPA to fight piracy

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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Two federal bills intended to protect intellectual property online might have their hearts in the right place.

But when it comes to the Internet, as with so many things, the devil is in the details.

And while their intentions may be good, the

reality of the House of Representatives' Stop Online Piracy Act and the Senate's Protect Intellectual Property Act is that they threaten to stifle Internet activity and creativity.

And as they are written now, the bills even could compromise web users' security, according to security experts.

That's why the White House announced last weekend it would not support either bill as they stand. That's wise.

Legislators should go back to the drawing board, taking to heart opponents' valid concerns about how the bills could compromise Internet security and freedoms.

Stopping Internet piracy is important, but any final bill approved must preserve Internet freedom, and be carefully vetted for other unintended consequences.

Anti-piracy bills SOPA and Protect IP both would give the government the authority to block foreign websites it determines to be dedicated to copyright infringement.

The bills are strongly supported by groups - like the Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - who see them as a way to stop the widespread theft of copyrighted materials.

But they are opposed by Silicon Valley companies, Internet users and free speech advocates for a number of good reasons.

Some fear innocent websites might be caught up in the dragnet. Others balk at the idea that Internet providers may be required to monitor customers' traffic.

Still others object to the bills' language, which they say is inclusive enough to warrant

blocking next-generation sites organized along the lines of YouTube or Wikipedia.

Equally troubling are technical provisions experts say would circumvent important Internet security measures - the primary reason the Obama administration cited for its lack of support of either bill.

Provisions in the acts would undermine U.S. government-approved efforts to prevent hackers from seizing control of the net, these experts say.

The Obama announcement isn't the end of this contentious discussion.

Proponents of the bills say they will continue to push for some form of anti-piracy legislation. Several popular websites are planning sitewide blackouts to draw more attention to the issue.

That's fine. But in order to move forward, both sides must recognize each others' valid concerns.

To move forward, all parties to sit down with legislators to see what compromises might be made without compromising Internet freedoms or security.

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