DAILYHOSTNEWS, January11, 2012 – Legislation currently making its way through the U.S. Congress has caused considerable controversy regarding free speech rights on the internet.
Bills intended to cut down on anti-piracy such as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) have been strongly opposed by those in the Internet community. And some of the strongest opposition has come from web hosting providers.
On Tuesday, popular web hosting control panel provider cPanel discussed why it’s opposed to the bills, signaling that it believes the legislation would have a devastating effect on the hosting industry.
“First, these bills will legally destroy the Internet’s basic organizational structures by attacking the domain name system, service providers, financial providers, and hosting providers by inhibiting their ability to generate revenue and access to advertising,” cPanel stated.
Continuing, cPanel said, “Armed with only a mere accusation of infringement, under the current vague language of these bills a U.S. Attorney can obtain a court order requiring web hosting providers, Internet service providers, financial transaction providers, advertising services, and search engine sites to block access to accused websites.”
And the negative effects don’t end there, according to the company. Other potential consequences include discouraging potential online startups, Internet free speech restrictions, going against current “safe harbor” safeguards, and more.
In addition to discussing its opposition, cPanel has gone into action, donating five thousand dollars to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an influential online rights organization.
Meanwhile, the Save Hosting Coalition, an organization representing a variety of web hosting providers against the bill has been steadfast in its opposition. Last month, the group announced it had received 300 industry executive signatures for a letter sent to U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s chairman and ranking member.
Consideration on the legislation from Congress is expected to continue when lawmakers return from their current winter recess.
