Top Internet engineers warn against SOPA

Some of the original engineers of the Internet called for lawmakers to scrap anti-piracy bills, saying the proposals would pose major technological barriers for the Web and stifle new innovations.

Engineers have warned that the bills have been introduced without enough consideration of how laws would affect the Internet. Vint Cerf of Google, domain name system software author Paul Vixie, and Internet routing engineer Tony Li were among 83 high-profile engineers who signed an open letter to Congress in opposition to the House Stop Online Privacy Act and Senate Protect Intellectual Property Act. “If enacted, either of these bills will create an environment of tremendous fear and uncertainty for technological innovation, and seriously harm the credibility of the United States in its role as a steward of key Internet infrastructure,” the engineers wrote. Most concerning are proposals in both bills for law enforcement to take down sites that are dedicated to the illegal trade of copyrighted material. By striking down domain names, the legislative proposals would fragment the Internet’s global domain system, they say. They also fear the bills would lead to censorship and put undue burden on Web sites.