Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Sergey Brin clarifies Apple and Facebook critique, says statement was 'distorted']]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/sergey-brin-clarifies-apple-and-facebook-critique/http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/sergey-brin-clarifies-apple-and-facebook-critique/http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/sergey-brin-clarifies-apple-and-facebook-critique/#comments Sergey Brin clarifies apple and facebook critique

Sergey Brin wasn't too happy with how his critique of Apple and Facebook was represented in the media following an interview he gave to the Guardian. In a post on Google+ (hey, if he won't use it, who will?) Brin lamented that, "my thoughts got particularly distorted... in a way that distracts from my central tenets." The founder believes that undue attention was given to his complaints about Facebook and Apple's "restrictive" walled gardens, when he sees oppressive governments and state-sanctioned censorship as much larger issues. Of course, while Brin does say he admires his competitors, he never truly backpedals from his criticism or says that it was taken out of context. To let Sergey explain himself, hit up the source link.

Sergey Brin clarifies Apple and Facebook critique, says statement was 'distorted' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applece oh noce-oh noce-oh no he didntCe-ohNoCe-ohNoHeDidntcensorshipCeOhNochinafacebookgooglegoogle plusGooglePlusguardianinternetiranpipasergey brinSergeyBrinsopawebWed, 18 Apr 2012 12:24:00 EST<![CDATA[Sergey Brin says the internet is under attack by governments, Apple and Facebook]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/16/sergey-brin-says-the-internet-is-under-attack-by-governments-ap/http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/16/sergey-brin-says-the-internet-is-under-attack-by-governments-ap/http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/16/sergey-brin-says-the-internet-is-under-attack-by-governments-ap/#comments Sergey Brin says the internet is under attack by governments, apple and facebook

One of the qualifications for scoring a CE-Oh no 'round here is actually being a CEO -- so Sergey Brin does not receive that honor. We will, however, draw attention to what some might call his hyperbolic ramblings. In an interview with the Guardian, Google's cool uncle said he was worried about the state of the internet and that his company could not have flourished in an online ecosystem like today's. According to Brin, the threats are coming from all sides -- most notably governments. While oppressive regimes like those in China and Iran get top billing, the US doesn't escape without criticism thanks to SOPA and PIPA which seemed perilously close to passing with support from the media industry. The co-founder also took shots at Apple and Facebook, which he said have built "really restrictive" walled gardens. For more smack talk from one of the most influential men in the tech industry, hit up the source link.

[Image via Thomas Hawk]

Sergey Brin says the internet is under attack by governments, Apple and Facebook originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applece oh noce-oh noce-oh no he didntCe-ohNoCe-ohNoHeDidntcensorshipCeOhNochinafacebookgoogleinternetiranpipasergey brinSergeyBrinsopawebMon, 16 Apr 2012 11:27:00 EST<![CDATA[PIPA and SOPA votes pushed back in the face of overwhelming opposition]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/20/pipa-and-sopa-votes-pushed-back/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/20/pipa-and-sopa-votes-pushed-back/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/20/pipa-and-sopa-votes-pushed-back/#comments SOPAIn the face of overwhelming opposition from just about every major technology company and the general public, the US Senate and House have decided to delay votes on the anti-piracy bills known as PIPA (Senate) and SOPA (House). Majority leader Harry Reid and Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith both announced that upcoming work on the acts would be delayed, "until there is wider agreement on a solution." While both have said that concerns over piracy must be addressed, it seems unlikely that they or any other politician will be rushing to revive the would-be laws after very public protests from Google and Wikipedia and the reported deluge of phone calls and emails that hammered offices at the capital Wednesday. The fight over intellectual property rights and fair use is far from over but, as the sibling bills face yet another delay, it's beginning to appear as if SOPA and PIPA's days are numbered

PIPA and SOPA votes pushed back in the face of overwhelming opposition originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fair useFairUsegovernmentharry reidHarryReidintellectual propertyintellectual property lawIntellectualPropertyIntellectualPropertyLawlamar smithLamarSmithpipapoliticsprotect intellectual property actprotect ip actProtectIntellectualPropertyActProtectIpActsopastop online piracy actStopOnlinePiracyActFri, 20 Jan 2012 11:26:00 EST<![CDATA[Virgin Media suffers three hour outage days after announcing super-fast broadband]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/18/virgin-media-outage/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/18/virgin-media-outage/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/18/virgin-media-outage/#comments
Less than a week after announcing it would double customers broadband speeds nationwide, Virgin Media suffered a nationwide blackout that sent the network dark for most of Tuesday evening. At 5:00, the service dropped after router hardware decided it couldn't go on streaming the same episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show to the nation. The company admitted to the fault and service was restored by 8:00pm. Had it been smarter, it could have gotten away with passing the whole thing off as a SOPA protest, but we admire Virgin's honesty -- even if it did lead to the brilliant comment on Twitter pictured above.

Virgin Media suffers three hour outage days after announcing super-fast broadband originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlackoutBroadbandCableFailureInternet BlackoutInternetBlackoutOutageRichard BransonRichardBransonSir Richard BransonSirRichardBransonSOPAUKVirgin MediaVirginMediaWed, 18 Jan 2012 13:22:00 EST<![CDATA[Google, Wikipedia and others protest SOPA / PIPA]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/18/google-wikipedia-protest-sopa-pipa/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/18/google-wikipedia-protest-sopa-pipa/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/18/google-wikipedia-protest-sopa-pipa/#comments At this point, SOPA needs no introduction. But if you've been diligently ignoring it up until this point, good luck getting through January 18th as an uninformed citizen. Google, Wikipedia and a host of other websites are either going dark or making huge, unmistakable statements on their homepages in protest. Google's tagline? "End Piracy, Not Liberty." Pretty much says it all, really. If you've spotted another site rebelling today, shout it out in comments below -- and while you're in the shouting mood, give your local officials a holler and let 'em know just how much you disapprove.

P.S. - An amazing breakdown of this whole thing can be found here at reddit.

Google, Wikipedia and others protest SOPA / PIPA originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>argumentcongressgooglegovernmentpipapiracyprotectprotestsopawikipediaWed, 18 Jan 2012 01:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Lamar Smith: SOPA markup to resume in February]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/17/sopa-markup-resume-february/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/17/sopa-markup-resume-february/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/17/sopa-markup-resume-february/#comments Thought the White House was able to put enough of smackdown on SOPA to kill the bill entirely? You thought wrong. We'd heard that the extremely controversial legislation would be delayed until a few concerns were ironed out, and according to House Judiciary Committee Chair Lamar Smith -- the author of the bill -- markup is expected to continue next month, as soon as both parties return from their retreats. Let's just hope that the "consensus" between Congress and the White House makes the bill look different than what we saw prior to the holiday break. Check out the full press release after the break.

[Thanks, Brianna]

Continue reading Lamar Smith: SOPA markup to resume in February

Lamar Smith: SOPA markup to resume in February originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>billcongressgovernmentinternetlamar smithLamarSmithpipasopastop online piracy actStopOnlinePiracyActwhite houseWhiteHouseTue, 17 Jan 2012 16:47:00 EST<![CDATA[Google launches PSA-style 'Good to Know' ad campaign, wants to keep us safe]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/17/google-launches-psa-style-good-to-know-ad-campaign-wants-to-k/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/17/google-launches-psa-style-good-to-know-ad-campaign-wants-to-k/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/17/google-launches-psa-style-good-to-know-ad-campaign-wants-to-k/#comments Google's no stranger to privacy-related controversy, which may explain the motivation behind its latest ad campaign. On Tuesday, the company will launch a series of ads across major newspapers, magazines and billboards, as part of its new "Good to Know" initiative, designed to make the internet "a safer, more comfortable place." According to Google, these ads will offer tips and advice on how to secure your personal information online, including details on how to protect your passwords from web predators. The entire campaign has a distinctly PSA flavor to it, though there's also a different subtext at work here, since Google is effectively branding itself as "the one you can trust." There are certainly some who would dispute that, but at a time when most privacy concerns are focused squarely on the government, it may be a good time for Google to crank up its PR machine. Find out more at the links below.

Google launches PSA-style 'Good to Know' ad campaign, wants to keep us safe originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ad campaignAdCampaignadvertisingawarenessbusinessgood to knowGoodToKnowgooglegoogle good to knowGoogleGoodToKnowindustrymagazinemoneymountain viewMountainViewnewspaperonlinepasswordprivacypsasafetysecuritysopaTue, 17 Jan 2012 14:49:00 EST<![CDATA[White House responds to SOPA petition as hearing is delayed, DNS blocking on the outs]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/14/white-house-responds-to-sopa-petition-as-hearing-is-delayed-dns/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/14/white-house-responds-to-sopa-petition-as-hearing-is-delayed-dns/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/14/white-house-responds-to-sopa-petition-as-hearing-is-delayed-dns/#comments
It's turned out to be a big weekend for those concerned about the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act. Yesterday came word that a key House hearing originally scheduled for Wednesday will be delayed until there is a "consensus" on the bill, and today the White House has issued an official statement on SOPA (and the Protect IP Act, its counterpart in the Senate) in response to a petition that drew thousands of signatures. While it doesn't go quite as far as to issue a firm veto threat from the President, it does lay out the administration's position in the clearest terms yet, including the condition that any proposed law "must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the Domain Name System." That follows word late last week that Representative Lamar Smith and Senator Patrick Leahy would indeed pull the DNS provisions from SOPA and PIPA. The White House statement is less specific in other respects, but it broadly states that the administration will "not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet."

In related news, the planned blackouts to protest SOPA and PIPA only seem to be increasing, with the popular xda-developers forum recently announcing that it will go dark at 8AM on January 18th, and return either at 8PM or as soon as it's able to get 50,000 people to sign a pledge to contact their local Senator or Representative.

White House responds to SOPA petition as hearing is delayed, DNS blocking on the outs originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>billdnsdns blockingDnsBlockingObama AdministrationObamaAdministrationpipasopastop online piracy actStopOnlinePiracyActwhite houseWhiteHousexdaxda-developersSat, 14 Jan 2012 13:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Comcast network upgrade blocks DNS blocking, could make SOPA self-incompatible]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/12/comcast-network-upgrade-blocks-dns-blocking-could-make-sopa-sel/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/12/comcast-network-upgrade-blocks-dns-blocking-could-make-sopa-sel/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/12/comcast-network-upgrade-blocks-dns-blocking-could-make-sopa-sel/#commentsNow here's a quirky twist in the ongoing SOPA opera. Comcast has just deployed DNSSEC technology across its entire internet service, which adds an extra layer of security to websites by checking that they have a special DNS signature to prove their identity. All well and good, except that in the process Comcast has been forced to admit that DNSSEC is "technically incompatible" with DNS redirect tools -- which happen to be precisely the tools that the Stop Online Piracy Act would use to block websites accused of copyright violation. The irony only deepens when you realize that Comcast is a major proponent of SOPA and, if anything, ought to be able to comply with its future edicts.

Comcast network upgrade blocks DNS blocking, could make SOPA self-incompatible originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comcastdnsdnssecself-incompatibilitysopastop online piracy actStopOnlinePiracyActThu, 12 Jan 2012 08:19:00 EST<![CDATA[Sinde Law brings SOPA-like restrictions to Spain]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/04/sinde-law-brings-sopa-like-restirctions-to-spain/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/04/sinde-law-brings-sopa-like-restirctions-to-spain/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/04/sinde-law-brings-sopa-like-restirctions-to-spain/#comments The Spanish government has passed legislation aimed at cracking down on websites illegally sharing digital content. Called the Sinde Law, it will create a new government commission that Spanish right holders can engage when they feel that a site is illegally distributing their content. After an alleged infraction, the commission examines the complaint and determines if, under the new statute, legal action is necessary. Should a site be found in violation, the case is passed to a judge and the decision is made either to shutter the offending website, take action against the site's service provider or dismiss the complaint altogether. The BBC reports that the entire process, from first report to final decision, should take no more than ten days. Open internet activists have voiced concerns about the breadth and implications of the law. United States residents will recognize many of the arguments for and against the Sinde Law in light of the SOPA Act (Stop Online Piracy Act) debate that's been raging here in the United States for several months.

Sinde Law brings SOPA-like restrictions to Spain originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Angeles Gonzalez-SindeAngelesGonzalez-sindeBBCBBC NewsBbcNewscopyrightIDC ResearchIdcResearchinfringementInternetLawNewsSindeSinde LawSindeLawSOPASpainSpanishStop Online Privacy ActStopOnlinePrivacyActWed, 04 Jan 2012 05:03:00 EST<![CDATA[Hackers planning homespun anti-censorship satellite internet]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/03/hackers-planning-homespun-anti-censorship-satellite-internet/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/03/hackers-planning-homespun-anti-censorship-satellite-internet/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/03/hackers-planning-homespun-anti-censorship-satellite-internet/#comments
SOPA is making ordinary, decent internet users mad as hell, and they're not gonna take it anymore. Hacker attendees of Berlin's Chaos Communication Congress are cooking up a plan to launch a series of homemade satellites as the backbone of an "uncensorable (sic) internet in space." Like all good ideas, there's a few hurdles to overcome first: objects in lower-Earth orbit circle the earth every 90 minutes, useless for a broadband satellite that needs to remain geostationary. Instead, a terrestrial network of base stations will have to be installed in order to remain in constant contact as it spins past, at the cost of €100 ($130) per unit. The conference also stated a desire to get an amateur astronaut onto the moon within 23 years, which we'd love to see, assuming there's still a rocket fuel store on eBay.

Hackers planning homespun anti-censorship satellite internet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AmateurAmateur SpaceAmateurSpaceBerlinCensorshipChaos Communication CongressChaosCommunicationCongresseBay IncHackHackerHackersHackingHacksOpen InternetOpenInternetrocketryRocketsSatelliteSci/TechSOPASpaceSpace TravelSpaceTravelTue, 03 Jan 2012 13:15:00 EST<![CDATA[SOPA: Who's in and who's out?]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/31/sopa-whos-in-and-whos-out/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/31/sopa-whos-in-and-whos-out/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/31/sopa-whos-in-and-whos-out/#comments By now we're sure you're aware that SOPA is more than just a tomato-based noodle soup. The Stop Online Piracy Act's been stirring controversy with its intentions, and it'll most likely continue in this path until we hear a final decision. Go Daddy wasn't shy -- before retracting -- about its support for the bill, and things have changed drastically since we first heard some of the "top dogs" express their feelings. But who else is behind it, who's got your back, and who's had a change of heart? The answers await you after the break.

Continue reading SOPA: Who's in and who's out?

SOPA: Who's in and who's out? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>billbillsBusiness Software AllianceBusinessSoftwareAlliancehousehouse of representativesHouseOfRepresentativesrepresentativessopasopa billsopa+supportersSopaBillsopasupportersstop online piracy actStopOnlinePiracyActSat, 31 Dec 2011 13:43:00 EST<![CDATA[Go Daddy pulls support for SOPA amidst backlash, too late to satisfy Wikipedia]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/23/godaddy-pulls-support-for-sopa-amidst-backlash-too-late-to-sati/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/23/godaddy-pulls-support-for-sopa-amidst-backlash-too-late-to-sati/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/23/godaddy-pulls-support-for-sopa-amidst-backlash-too-late-to-sati/#comments
It looks like the prospect of widespread boycott was more than Go Daddy was willing to face as a result of its support for the Stop Online Piracy Act -- the domain name registrar announced today that it has officially withdrawn its support for the controversial bill. In a statement, the company said that "fighting online piracy is of the utmost importance, which is why Go Daddy has been working to help craft revisions to this legislation - but we can clearly do better," adding that it will support new legislation "when and if the Internet community supports it." That move proved to be too late for a number of prominent Go Daddy customers, however, including Wikipedia, which coincidentally announced today that it will be moving all of its domain names away from Go Daddy due to its stance on SOPA. Go Daddy's full announcement is after the break.

Continue reading Go Daddy pulls support for SOPA amidst backlash, too late to satisfy Wikipedia

Go Daddy pulls support for SOPA amidst backlash, too late to satisfy Wikipedia originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>godaddysopastop online piracy actStopOnlinePiracyActwikipediaFri, 23 Dec 2011 14:14:00 EST<![CDATA[SOPA hearing delayed until the new year as petition signatures top 25k]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/20/sopa-hearing-delayed-until-the-new-year-as-petition-signatures-t/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/20/sopa-hearing-delayed-until-the-new-year-as-petition-signatures-t/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/20/sopa-hearing-delayed-until-the-new-year-as-petition-signatures-t/#comments
Hearings in the US House of Representatives to finish markup on the Stop Online Piracy Act (or SOPA) were slated to resume tomorrow, but it looks like things will remain at a standstill until next year. The holiday break has now pushed the committee hearing back to a yet-to-be-rescheduled date, with nothing more specific than "early next year" being promised at the moment. That news comes as a Whitehouse.gov petition asking President Obama to veto the bill and any future ones like it passed its goal of 25,000 signatures, well ahead of the January 17th deadline (as of this writing, the count stands around 29,000).

SOPA hearing delayed until the new year as petition signatures top 25k originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>househouse of representativesHouseOfRepresentativesjudiciary committeeJudiciaryCommitteepetitionsopastop online piracy actStopOnlinePiracyActTue, 20 Dec 2011 19:02:00 EST<![CDATA[SOPA hearings underway, tech policy wonks can stream it live]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/sopa-hearings-underway-tech-policy-wonks-can-stream-it-live/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/sopa-hearings-underway-tech-policy-wonks-can-stream-it-live/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/sopa-hearings-underway-tech-policy-wonks-can-stream-it-live/#commentsIPRLike any good tech geek you're probably at least interested in, if not a little concerned by SOPA -- the Stop Online Piracy Act. Well, today is its day in front of the House Judiciary committee. While this is hardly the last stop on the road towards becoming a law for the bill it is one that will be crucial in deciding its fate. Will it be toothless and unenforceable? Simply die in committee? Or will this become a powerful new tool in the battle against piracy? If you're the really wonky type hit up the source link to watch a live stream of the debate.

[Thanks, Tyler]

SOPA hearings underway, tech policy wonks can stream it live originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>governmentHouse Judiciary Committeehouse of representativesHouseJudiciaryCommitteeHouseOfRepresentativesintellectual propertyIntellectualPropertyIPminipostpiracypoliticsSOPAstop online piracy actStopOnlinePiracyActThu, 15 Dec 2011 12:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Federal domain seizure raises new concerns over online censorship]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/09/federal-domain-seizure-raises-new-concerns-over-online-censorshi/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/09/federal-domain-seizure-raises-new-concerns-over-online-censorshi/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/09/federal-domain-seizure-raises-new-concerns-over-online-censorshi/#comments
It's been a little more than a year since the US government began seizing domains of music blogs, torrent meta-trackers and sports streaming sites. The copyright infringement investigation, led by US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities, quickly raised eyebrows among many free speech and civil rights advocates, fueling a handful of legal challenges. Few are more compelling, or frightening than a case involving Dajaz1.com. As TechDirt reports, the popular hip-hop blog has been at the epicenter of a sinuous and seemingly dystopian dispute with the feds -- one that underscores the heightening controversy surrounding federal web regulation, and blurs the constitutional divide between free speech and intellectual property protection.

Dajaz1 was initially seized under the 2008 Pro IP Act, on the strength of an affidavit that cited several published songs as evidence of copyright infringement. As it turns out, ,any of these songs were actually provided by their copyright holders themselves, but that didn't stop the government from seizing the URL anyway, and plastering a warning all over its homepage. Typically, this kind of action would be the first phase of a two-step process. Once a property is seized, US law dictates that the government has 60 days to notify its owner, who can then choose to file a request for its return. If the suspect chooses to file this request within a 35-day window, the feds must then undertake a so-called forfeiture process within 90 days. Failure to do so would require the government to return the property to its rightful owner. But that's not exactly how things played out in the case of Dajaz1. For more details on the saga, head past the break.

Continue reading Federal domain seizure raises new concerns over online censorship

Federal domain seizure raises new concerns over online censorship originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blogconstitutioncopyrightcopyright infringementCopyrightInfringementcourtdajaz1domaindomain seizureDomainSeizurefedfederalfedsfirst amendmentFirstAmendmentgovernmenthearinghip hopHipHopICEImmigration and Customs EnforcementImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcementlawlegalmusicpiracypoliticsseizureSOPAtechdirtUS governmentUsGovernmentwebwebsiteFri, 09 Dec 2011 15:21:00 EST<![CDATA[Google, Facebook, Twitter and others speak out against the Stop Online Piracy Act]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/16/google-facebook-twitter-and-others-speak-out-against-the-stop/http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/16/google-facebook-twitter-and-others-speak-out-against-the-stop/http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/16/google-facebook-twitter-and-others-speak-out-against-the-stop/#comments
Earlier today, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (or SOPA) which, depending on who you ask, is either a means to stop piracy and copyright infringement on so-called "rogue" websites, or the most serious threat of internet censorship that we've seen in some time. In the latter camp are some of the biggest internet companies around, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, eBay, LinkedIn, Mozilla, Zynga and AOL (full disclosure: Engadget's parent company), who today made their stance clear by taking out a full-page ad in The New York Times.

The ad itself is a letter sent by the nine companies to Congress, which states that while they support the stated goals of the bill and the related Protect IP Act, they believe that, as written, the bills "would expose law-abiding U.S. Internet and technology companies to new uncertain liabilities, private rights of action, and technology mandates that would require monitoring of web sites." The companies further went on to say that they believe the measures also "pose a serious risk to our industry's continued track record of innovation and job-creation, as well as to our Nation's cybersecurity." While they didn't all sign onto the letter, those companies also also joined by a host of others who have spoken out against the legislation, including Foursquare and Tumblr. The sole witness against the proposed measures at today's hearing, however, was Google's copyright policy counsel, Katherine Oyama -- you can find her testimony on Google's Public Policy Blog linked below.

Google, Facebook, Twitter and others speak out against the Stop Online Piracy Act originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AOcensorshipcongresseBayfacebookfoursquaregooglehearinghouselegislationLinkedInMozillapiracyprotect ip actProtectIpActsenatesopastop online piracy actStopOnlinePiracyActtumblrtwiiterTwitterYahooZyngaWed, 16 Nov 2011 15:43:00 EST