Obama walks a thin line on SOPA (Politico)

The White House waded into the red-hot online piracy debate with a statement Saturday that won't satisfy either side.

In a blog post penned by three administration officials, the White House said it opposes any bill that would make it easier for government to censor the Web or make the Internet less secure, but it stopped short of saying whether that includes two bills that have sent the tech industry into a panic.

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If that sounds like a careful effort to walk a thin line, it is: Some of the president's biggest supporters in Hollywood and Silicon Valley and beyond are sharply divided over the bills, and the White House needs a way to keep both sides happy.

The Stop Online Piracy?Act in the House and Protect IP Act in the Senate are an attempt by business interests led by Hollywood to crack down on people pirating movies and music and stop the sale of knockoff goods.

But Web companies and Internet freedom activists have cried foul, saying the bills would put restrictions on the Web in a way that could destroy the fundamental openness of the Internet and prevent the next generation of Facebooks or eBays from getting off the ground.

And where President Barack Obama comes down has been closely watched ? because of his image as a technology guy, someone who harnessed the Web and young Internet users to win the presidency.

The administration did not take a definitive position on SOPA or PIPA on Saturday. But it was clear that the White House ? while calling pirated movies and knockoff pharmaceuticals on the Web "a real problem" in need of a legislative solution ? isn't enamored of either bill.

"While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet," the administration officials said. "Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small. "

The authors ? Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, OMB Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel and Howard Schmidt, special assistant to the president and cybersecurity coordinator for? National Security Staff ? called on the bills' opponents to do more than just fight the bills and to work on private solutions to piracy problems.

"This is not just a matter for legislation. We expect and encourage all private parties, including both content creators and Internet platform providers working together, to adopt voluntary measures and best practices to reduce online piracy," they wrote. "So, rather than just look at how legislation can be stopped, ask yourself: Where do we go from here? Don't limit your opinion to what's the wrong thing to do, ask yourself what's right. Already, many members of Congress are asking for public input around the issue. We are paying close attention to those opportunities, as well as to public input to the administration. "

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_71445_html/44179595/SIG=11m6uqaor/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71445.html

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