Legislation by Rep. Lamar Smith equals Internet censorship

By Robert Romano


Do you like interacting with your friends on social networking sites like Facebook, or looking at user-created videos on YouTube? Or simply surfing on Google to find the most up to date news and information?

Well, the Internet could get a lot more bumpy in the coming months. Congress is considering legislation that Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson said would “give the government power to censor the Internet.”

The bill by Chairman of theHouse Judiciary Committee Rep. Lamar Smith, HR 3261, claims to be targeting Internet piracy websites that frequently post materials that infringe on copyright law. But it goes much, much further than that.

“Nobody likes Internet piracy, but this legislation is going to create a regime of Internet censorship in the name of protecting copyright. This will particularly endanger social networking sites, search engines, and any website that allows users to upload content of being shut down,” Wilson warned.

“Why would anyone want to give government the power to shut down websites?” Wilson asked, adding, “There are already sufficient protections for copyright under existing law, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.”
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