Locals, websites protest Piracy Act
Controversial legislation aimed at curbing online piracy would be detrimental to the Internet, protesters on campus and around the country urged on Wednesday.
Under the Stop Online Piracy Act — introduced in the U.S. House late last year — U.S. law enforcement would have the power to shut down websites which host or link to copyrighted material. Last November, website executives from such sites such Tumblr, Wikipedia, and Google launched campaigns to rally opposition to the proposal.
On Wednesday, hundreds of websites hosted online protests. Google covered its logo on the homepage with a black box and offered a link to sign a petition. Wikipedia "went dark" for the day; its homepage stated "Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge" and restricted access to information. And many Facebook users replaced their profile pictures with images criticizing the bill.
Iowa's Congressional delegation mostly opposes the proposal.
Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, who represents Johnson County, is an opponent of the legislation, but he said he thinks piracy is a problem Congress needs to address.
"[Loebsack] believes open access to free flowing information over the Internet is critical to competing in today's diverse global economy, especially for Internet-based small businesses and blogs. However, we must also ensure that intellectual property is protected from foreign websites dedicated to online piracy," Joe Hand, Loebsack's communications representative, said in an email to The Daily Iowan. "We can and should achieve both of those goals. The current legislation moving through Congress needs to be improved, including steps to ensure freedom of speech for domestic websites, before it moves forward."
"I've heard you," Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, said on Twitter. "I strongly oppose #SOPA."
U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, D-Iowa, is a co-sponsor of the Senate's version of the bill, but has since asked Senate leaders to delay consideration of the bill. Grassley signed onto a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid, saying, " we have increasingly heard from a large number of constituents and other stakeholders with vocal concerns about possible unintended consequences of the proposed legislation."
Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, talked to liberal blog Bleeding Heartland about the legislation.
"While I am supportive of protecting copyrighted content and preventing piracy, I will not back legislation that could unfairly hinder freedoms of speech and expression and possibly hurt our country's online innovators, most of which are small businesses," he said. "At this time, I do not believe [the act] strikes the appropriate balance."
Some locals agreed the legislation would be a bad move.
UI senior Ian Tenney, for instance, said the legislation would clog the open flow of information on the Internet.
"[I'm] in support [of the protest] mostly because the Internet is a venue to exchange information and forums will suffer" he said.
A UI instructor who studies media law agreed.
"Sometimes silence is louder than words," journalism Associate Professor Lyombe Eko said. "[The Piracy Act] is a horrible idea. They want to lock up information behind walls."
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