Google is making a stand against the proposed PROTECT IP act, which if passed, will give the government powers to ban websites, seize domain names, and force Google to remove search results for websites that the government does not like.
The Executive Chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt, has vowed to fight against any laws which would see the government meddle with the Internet's domain name system, as well as laws which could see Google's search results tampered with.
Speaking at a London business conference, Schmidt's, and Google's, opinion on the proposed changes could not have been stronger, with Schmidt quoted as saying "[referring to DNS tampering] ... If it's a request, the answer is we wouldn't do it; if it's a discussion, we wouldn't do it."
Amongst other critics of the bill are the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the ACLU, both have called the proposed bill dangerous, as it allows the government to silence dissenting opinions, by closing down websites such as Wikileaks using laws the government insists are targeted at only piracy websites. Schmidt also agreed, comparing the bill to the same kind of censorship laws that exists in countries like China.
Critics have also attacked the law for trying to bypass the legal system, as the government will have powers to ban websites that are only alleged to have undertaken illegal activities, without having to prove guilt in a court of law.
Showing clearly just who is actually behind the push to adopt the PROTECT IP bill, both the RIAA and MPAA chose to respond to Google and Schmidt's statements. RIAA spokesman Jonathan Lamy called on Google to not "benefit from criminal activities" and also questioned whether Google was serious about fighting copyright theft.
MPAA's chief of government relations Michael O'Leary also chimed in. "Google seems to think it's above America's laws, " opined O'Leary when asked about Schmidt's statements.
Do you think PROTECT IP goes too far, in that it allows the government to make any website simply "disappear" without even allowing said website to defend themselves in court, and do you agree with Google's opposition to the law? Post your opinion in this news article's comments section, or in this forum thread:
http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?t=94867
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