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#siteblocking

6 posts6 participants2 posts today

"More than a decade ago, Congress tried to pass SOPA and PIPA—two sweeping bills that would have allowed the government and copyright holders to quickly shut down entire websites based on allegations of piracy. The backlash was immediate and massive. Internet users, free speech advocates, and tech companies flooded lawmakers with protests, culminating in an “Internet Blackout” on January 18, 2012. Turns out, Americans don’t like government-run internet blacklists. The bills were ultimately shelved.

Thirteen years later, as institutional memory fades and appetite for opposition wanes, members of Congress in both parties are ready to try this again.

The Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act (FADPA), along with at least one other bill still in draft form, would revive this reckless strategy. These new proposals would let rights holders get federal court orders forcing ISPs and DNS providers to block entire websites based on accusations of infringing copyright. Lawmakers claim they’re targeting “pirate” sites—but what they’re really doing is building an internet kill switch.

These bills are an unequivocal and serious threat to a free and open internet. EFF and our supporters are going to fight back against them."

eff.org/deeplinks/2025/04/cong

Electronic Frontier Foundation · Site-Blocking Legislation Is Back. It’s Still a Terrible Idea.More than a decade ago, Congress tried to pass SOPA and PIPA—two sweeping bills that would have allowed the government and copyright holders to quickly shut down entire websites based on allegations of piracy. The backlash was immediate and massive. Internet users, free speech advocates, and tech...

⚠️ Congress is reviving site-blocking laws—and EFF says it’s as reckless as ever.

Proposals like the Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act (FADPA) would empower courts to order ISPs and DNS providers to block entire websites—without due process.

Why it matters:
🛑 Site-blocking doesn’t just target piracy—it silences speech
💥 It can unintentionally take down thousands of innocent sites
🕵️ Evading blocks is trivial—using VPNs, alternate DNS, etc.
⚖️ Many cases would be handled ex parte, with no one to defend the accused

EFF calls this an internet kill switch in disguise, and it’s a dangerous precedent for free expression and open web access in the U.S.

The entertainment industry is thriving without these laws. So why hand them censorship power?

👉 eff.org/deeplinks/2025/04/cong

Electronic Frontier Foundation · Site-Blocking Legislation Is Back. It’s Still a Terrible Idea.More than a decade ago, Congress tried to pass SOPA and PIPA—two sweeping bills that would have allowed the government and copyright holders to quickly shut down entire websites based on allegations of piracy. The backlash was immediate and massive. Internet users, free speech advocates, and tech...