BSA Changes Its Mind On SOPA: Unintended Consequences Too Big

Free Speech

from the whoops dept

Late last week and over the weekend, supporters of SOPA started pushing a slightly ridiculous idea that a bunch of big tech companies “supported SOPA.” This was based on the fact that the oftentimes extremist organization, the BSA, had come out in favor of SOPA, and a few people chose to believe that meant every member of the BSA — including companies like Apple, Intel and Dell — supported SOPA. The attempt to pretend that Apple must support SOPA was angering a lot of Apple fans, and it appears that something happened behind the scenes.

The BSA has now come out with a blog post “clarifying” its position, which seems a lot more like completely backing down on its position, and admitting that SOPA is way too broad and would have serious unintended consequences:

Valid and important questions have been raised about the bill. It is intended to get at the worst of the worst offenders. As it now stands, however, it could sweep in more than just truly egregious actors. To fix this problem, definitions of who can be the subject of legal actions and what remedies are imposed must be tightened and narrowed. Due process, free speech, and privacy are rights cannot be compromised. And the security of networks and communications is indispensable to a thriving Internet economy. Some observers have raised reasonable questions about whether certain SOPA provisions might have unintended consequences in these areas. BSA has long stood against filtering or monitoring the Internet. All of these concerns should be duly considered and addressed.

Filed Under: copyright, free speech, sopa, tech industry
Companies: apple, bsa