Blog
01.18
A Sudden Death for SOPA
Being an American and a software engineer, particularly Web software, I have a very real and serious position on this piece of legislation - the "Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)".
In its current state, this piece of legislation poses a very real and serious threat to individuals' liberties by not restricting itself strictly to issues of piracy. Instead, it is written in such indefinite language that it has the potential to be abused as much as the Commerce Clause has been abused throughout American history.
Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and the surrounding areas are clustered with computer technology businesses. This legislation not only poses a threat to my career, but also to the economic stability of our great state. In a time where the nation is experiencing severe financial crises, our state must continue to be an example of sound financial policies - including that of deregulation (or in this case prohibiting further regulation).
If this legislation passes and is actually enforced, something that will be extremely expensive and painful to enact, the web as we know it will be converted from a world of knowledge sharing and progressive technological advancements into a breeding ground for criminal activity and endless frivolous lawsuits. Seeing as we are already drowning in debt, I do not see how this will do anything more than perpetuate a further descent into economic and legal turmoil.
With that said, let me be absolutely clear that I am not opposed to reducing online piracy.
However, the U.S. Constitution does not grant any branch of our government the authority to handle this issue. It should therefore be reserved for the states to take into consideration if at all. As an expert in the field, it is my opinion that this issue can only be truly resolved by further efforts in technological security and the creation of new data mediums.
I just want to reiterate that I am only opposed to the loose language used in this legislation and the idea that the federal government has the authority to enact such regulations, not to the idea of fighting online piracy. If you start to restrict the internet, we will become less prosperous, less educated and will weaken our claims to being a leader in democratic principles.
Post new comment