White House rejects SOPA and PIPA

Ranking members of the Obama administration have published a memo condemning the approach taken in SOPA and PIPA, the punishing, pending Internet bills that establish and export a censorship regime in the name of fighting copyright infringement:

We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet. Proposed laws must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the Domain Name System (DNS), a foundation of Internet security. Our analysis of the DNS filtering provisions in some proposed legislation suggests that they pose a real risk to cybersecurity and yet leave contraband goods and services accessible online. We must avoid legislation that drives users to dangerous, unreliable DNS servers and puts next-generation security policies, such as the deployment of DNSSEC, at risk.

Obama Administration Responds to We the People Petitions on SOPA and Online Piracy (Thanks, James!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Max Kielt

This is fantastic news, and a step in the right direction, but it should certainly be taken with a grain of salt. The administration has not promised a veto, as the petitions requested; even if it did, that’s not a great guarantee (case in point, the NDAA).

Everybody should continue raising awareness about SOPA/PIPA, and do their part to ensure that they never get onto Obama’s desk. The upcoming blackouts will definitely help, but don’t forget to keep calling your representatives and reminding them to vote against this legislation.
- Massive Missive
  
  Nonsense; this is misdirection. Someone in the administration is smart enough to realize this isn’t going anywhere with the DNS provision. That’s all. They’ll remove that portion and Obama will sign the country over to the MPAA and that’s all there is to it.
  - Palomino
    
    Comeback and demure later, you seem pretty sure about this, like a prophet. Ick.
  - ialreadyexist
    
    You are exactly correct. Obama will sign it (without the DNS provisions that the author just agreed to remove). Guaranteed. How many times will people fall for this bait and switch?
    - IamInnocent
      
      As long as the American people doesn’t get a real choice when going to vote. Despair makes one believe in mirages.
  - muckdriver
    
    It wouldn’t be the first time the Obama administration disagreed with something publicly but supported in in policy, anyway.
http://charlesfrith.blogspot.com/ Charles Frith

This is a start.
Shinkuhadoken

Is it just me, or is it sad that, up to this point, no one had much “hope” that Obama would actually be any help in this case?
- blueelm
  
  It’s sad. But then again I kind of don’t even give a damn. I mean, so Obama has compromised too much or refuses/can’t do the things I want done. That is one issue. At this point, I don’t care anymore about him or how I feel about him. This shit just needs to be stopped and that’s all there is.
- Palomino
  
  Knowing when to strike is best. He lets others argue, and gets involved when it time and when it will make a difference. Some of you think, because hes president and in the white house, he can do anything he wants. And when he does do something, the media attacks him for meddling in things they think he has no business meddling in.
  
  President Obama has always encouraged each and everyone of us to get involved. He want’s us to voice our opinions, not do it for us, but with us. It”s better him and us all, if he hands congress a proverbial letter signed by all of us, not just him.
- IamInnocent
  
  It is not you or anyone else.
  It is just sad that Obama belongs to those corporations which (not who) want SOPA and PIPA.
Andrew Singleton

Remember folks. Election Year. It’s a magical time when politicians try doing a collective Sith Mind Screw to make you forget all the things they did you don’t like.
- http://noctilucent-studios.blogspot.com/ Noctilucent Studios
  
  ^^^^^^^This is pretty much it in a nutshell.^^^^^^^^^^
- Roman Berry
  
  Yup. OCM* is in full swing.
  
  *Obama Campaign Mode, AKA “Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies…“
http://imcravingpresidency.tumblr.com/ SedanChair

So he’ll sign it with a signing statement. Or he’ll send it back, they’ll fix this minor technical stuff and the new bill will be just as bad.

Or he’ll veto it and make a big deal out of it at the most politically advantageous moment, then ride our pathetic gratitude to victory in November.
- IamInnocent
  
  And ride our asses afterwards, if he wins us over and the election.
viadd

This just means that Obama will sign the bill ‘reluctantly’, and not be too obvious in how he pushes for it.

Just like he ‘reluctantly’ signed the recent bill that, at administration request, allows the government to throw people into jail for the rest of their lives without trial.
- http://twitter.com/usagizero Andrew Iverson
  
  This point right here is why i can’t and won’t believe a thing Obama says from now on before he does or doesn’t sign something. Signing something that violates the constitution, (but he said he “had reservations”, ugh) and then taking him at his word? Never again. Better to believe bigfoot will come in and fix our problems.
  
  I’ve never been one to call for stuff like this, but all the politicians who signed that thing should be thrown in jail or tossed out of office at the least for violating the oath they took to uphold the constitution.
snipehunt

oh great, if Obamas against it, the republicans will doubledown!
- Dev Jones
  
  this fight isn’t repubs vs. dems. Plenty of democrats love SOPA in its original form, just the way it was.
  - ialreadyexist
    
    The day when a majority of people realize that there is only one political party in Washington will be a great day. I don’t expect to see it in my lifetime, however.
    - http://disqus.com/Kimmoth/ Kimmo
      
      ‘Two management teams, bidding for control of Slavery Incorporated.’
AirPillo

The white house said nasty things about NDAA too. Then Obama rubberstamped it.
igpajo

I’m thinking 90% of the folks in Congress or the House have no idea what that paragraph means.
- ialreadyexist
  
  I’m thinking that 90% of the folks in Congress don’t know how to read.
- IamInnocent
  
  And 90% of the rest who have an idea, poor lonely thing that it is, have the wrong one.
http://twitter.com/samari711 samari711

The thing about the NDAA was that it contained a hell of a lot more than just the detention provision. If Obama didn’t sign it, there would be no funding for the Armed Forces, which makes fighting 1.25 wars rather difficult. He was bluffing with the Veto and Congress called him on it. SOPA would be a different matter, there’s no critical funding tied to its passing
- Cowicide
  
  there’s no critical funding tied to its passing
  
  Unless you count campaign donations, etc.
- Finnagain
  
  Is there anything too evil that he would not have ‘reluctantly’ signed it? Anything? Troops gotta get paid, right?
- Melted Crayons
  
  You’d be surprised how many wars we’re fighting.
- Guest
  
  1.25 wars? You’re an optimist.
- toyg
  
  you’re wrong. There are “critical” anti-counterfeiting provisions nobody can complain about, in those bills; even opponents agree that those are “necessary”. So get ready for the inevitable “I had to sign it, it was an emergency, we had to protect jobs”.
- IamInnocent
  
  Is there any other country on the planet where bills are tote bags for all sort of unrelated stuff ? How the heck this ever did come about ? Politics are generally obscene but that overt blackmailing !
  - pKp
    
    Yeah, kinda – most countries with a bicameral parliamentary system see this kind of abuse of the amendment process once in a while.
    This is way beyond the pale, though. Especially the NDAA stuff.
- http://evilbobdayjob.blogspot.com/ Deidzoeb
  
  “He was bluffing with the Veto and Congress called him on it.”
  
  To voters, not following through on this bluff sounded like inconsistency, or flip-flopping, or lying.
  
  Meanwhile, Obama could have called Congress’s bluff. If this version had been vetoed, would they really refuse to fund the Armed Forces? I’m guessing they would have put forward a revised version right away.
awjt

Isn’t it time for an Internet supertechnology that automatically ignores bullshit legislation and just continues to function?
- Andrew Singleton
  
  No Super-Technology but the Wayback machine has an interesting thing that might be useful.
  
  http://web.archive.org/web/20050205052535/http://www.guerrilla.net/
  - awjt
    
    All I’m saying is that if the basis is DNS, and DNS can be de-optimized, then it’s time to start looking for a new way of doing business that can’t be.
Damien

This is good talk. But. let’s see who follows-through with their vote, and says no to SOPA/PIPA. That’s what matters: whether legislators vote for or against; at least, those who are still democratic and haven’t sold-out to the big studios and media conglomerates.
blissfulight

No, he didn’t reject it. The White House just issued some mealy-mouthed bullshit that basically is another Obama weaslism, which is ‘Well, we don’t like it in principle, but hell, we’ll figure a way to sign it and call it a victory for the internet and freedom and capitalism–everyone wins!’ His administration is stacked from here to the Moon with players from the RIAA who have been influencing his ‘approach’ to IP enforcement, and plenty of Hollywood players have been lining his campaign pockets as well, who want play for pay. At least if he came right out and supported SOPA/PIPA I would know that he has at least one core conviction–that would take some moral courage. No doubt if the anti-SOPA/PIPA forces win, he’ll find a way to make it look like he was the one that helped bring about its downfall without actually looking like he brought about its downfall (Must. Find. Way. To. Please. Everyone.) and he’ll be speaking out of the side of his mouth to his Hollywood supporters, telling them ‘I’ll fix it next year, this ain’t over till it’s over, and thanks for the donation, sucker.’

I wonder if we’ll ever see another Lincoln, another FDR, Presidents that are worthy of monuments because of their wisdom, their ability to lead and get the job done, to affect monumental change. I’m sure Congress will find a strip of grass or plaque or something to name after Obama.
- Andrew Singleton
  
  NOt till we raz the current system to the ground since it’s too easy to vote someone with conviction and morals out of office if they don’t vote how you want. Look at Carter. Nice guy. Didn’t play ball in DC (this being back before today’s Viciousness.) He tends to be reviled as president (and congratulated on his post presidential work.)
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  I wonder if we’ll ever see another Lincoln…
  
  John Wilkes Booth did rather send a message on that one. The only leadership that most (vocal) Americans seem to want to see is war and vengeance.
- http://imcravingpresidency.tumblr.com/ SedanChair
  
  I’d say we have another Lincoln/FDR in office right now: legally unclear citizen detention, sprawling wars, etc.
http://www.markcrummett.com crummett

Did I just not notice or did he take his own sweet time deciding this?
- Guest
  
  maybe he actually read it?
Matthew Neist

Because he didn’t say anything like this about NDAA.
Melted Crayons

It’s not over until it’s over.
Melted Crayons

We don’t need hope. We need real.
Barrett Blackwood

“…pose a real risk to cybersecurity and yet leave contraband goods and services accessible online.”

I think what they are really trying to say is that if they create an internet blacklist in the United States, the internet covering the rest of the free world will become separated, and online social media (and file-sharing) will expand outside US borders where they have no jurisdiction. This would severely damage US influence on global culture. Some sites already block access to some services and features in the US.
That_Anonymous_Coward

Is this like how they promised me marriage?
Is it like how they promised more transparency?
Is it like how they said GITMO was closing?
Is this like how they said groping children would keep us safe from terror?
Is this like how they created more terror than they dreamed of stopping?
Is this like how they scapegoated all brown people as the source of all problems?
Is this like how they handed control over the people to the people who pay them best?

TL;DR –
Until they actually do not sign and reject it, believe nothing.
- gedsudski
  
  I don’t know how you can measure how much terror has been stopped? Explain please.
  - That_Anonymous_Coward
    
    They stop cupcakes. They grope children.
    The FBI has yet to stop a “terrorist plot” that they themselves have not put into motion.
    They are creating more terror in people with their irrational actions that do not make anyone safer, but give illusions.
    
    When we get on a plane we have to be irradiated, fondled, stolen from.
    The people who clean, refuel, pack, maintain the planes… are not checked. Which vector is more likely for an attack? Someone who will be “randomly” selected based on skin color, or someone working hard for bad pay offered a large sum of money to get a box on a plane.
    - Melted Crayons
      
      Actually, workers at the airport are screened by the TSA, but that is out of view, so the public is unaware of it.
      
      The people who wanted these wars and who want to continue and expand them need cover; the TSA serves a purpose in that regard.
      - That_Anonymous_Coward
        
        When they are not busy stealing out of the luggage or dealing in pills or selling rides to the front of the line or randomly feeling people up for fun outside of the checkpoint.
        And we trust that they are doing their job correctly every day and checking all of the staff coming in…
      - Mike Smith
        
        I worked at O’Hare as a contractor for two weeks. My background check was never completed (according to the one person assigned to babysit me), and I was only screened/scanned/searched on the first day. There was ample opportunity for me to transfer contraband in and out of the airport, with no one ever being the wiser. In my experience, you are mistaken when you say airport workers are screened.
  - andygates
    
    You might want to read this article over on Bruce Schneier’s blog: http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2012/01/the_tsa_proves.html
  - Thebes42
    
    The only “terror” we’ve stopped are the FBI hatched plots that feature useful idiots the FBI dupes into signing on for the fake-terror plot.
ialreadyexist

Considering the Obama Administration rejected the NDAA provisions, this does absolutely nothing for me. Perhaps Obama will be kind enough to issue a signing statement saying that his administration will never use it when he “reluctantly” signs this one too.
Palomino

There’s not going to be a President for a long time that’s going to be as technically savvy as Bill Clinton and Obama, enjoy it while you can.
http://twitter.com/fekkyFTP fekky jaya saputra

this is for the first time I said, “WAY TO GO WHITEHOUSE”
http://twitter.com/mundoalreves Mundo al Revés

No comments about the Bulling made to Spain? Perhaps you are not going to have PIPA and SOPA, but USA has forced Spain to aprove the spanish SOPA (SINDE’s law)
- blepom
  
  Sinde is a person’s name, not an acronym! But we are going to stay as an example so new attempts for SOPA to exist can be made. We got screwed.
DreadJester

Congressman Jared Polis spoke with League Top Ten in a video and explained SOPA and what it would cause in a very good and easily understandable way. Also interesting is his disscusion on how those congressmen opposed to it are also attempting to “water it down” so that if it does pass it will have less of an effect. Overall a very good and informative video well worth the 16 minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMXUhmnD3MQ&feature=g-all-u&context=G2a8b3e8FAAAAAAAATAA
blepom

Cool, since the US doesn’t have SOPA now, does that mean we Spaniards can get rid of the Sinde law? ….of course not, we need to exist as prior art for new attempts for SOPA to exist. Please, make sure this never, ever, gets passed in the US after this. Do it for the ones that got screwed on SOPA’s behalf.

The Sinde law went exactly like this. There was social movement, it was temporarily cancelled, then it was approved during election times when nobody was paying attention. SOPA pushers will attempt to do it again. Don’t lower your guard.
http://twitter.com/strugglngwriter strugglngwriter

This administration chooses their words very carefully. If they didn’t say veto, they won’t veto (of course if they say veto they won’t veto either).

Obama may be opposed, but he’ll still sign it. He knows who calls the shots and it is not the American people.
- Guest
  
  “this” administration? As if that’s different from other administrations? Ohhhkay.
  - http://twitter.com/strugglngwriter strugglngwriter
    
    Sorry, I thought we were talking about Obama. Which is “this administration”. If you want, though, I guess we could talk about what Lincoln would do about SOPA.
    - http://twitter.com/sqlrob Rob
      
      Name an administration that doesn’t ”choose[] their words very carefully. If they [don't] say veto, they won’t veto (of course if they say veto they won’t veto either).”
      - Guest
        
        ding ding ding! +1 for choosing your words carefully!
    - Guest
      
      you called them out on their careful verbiage, which is endemic to politicians of every administration (except maybe Taft). If you want to call Obama out for being a politician, enjoy your deep analysis.
  - Melted Crayons
    
    Right. The conversation needs to be about the power elite who are served by our elected officials.
    
    For anyone who might need to come up to speed, check the interview on C-Span with author Chris Hedges http://www.c-span.org/Events/In-Depth-with-Author-and-Journalist-Chris-Hedges/10737426679-1/
gedsudski

Unless you are JC himself, I wish you would stop predicting the future. What exactly WOULD make you people happy???? I didn’t think trolls were regulars on boing boing, but I’m starting to realize you just have better verbiage than most.
- VicqRuiz
  
  What exactly WOULD make you people happy????
  
  A simple “I will veto this bill” would be fine.
  - Guest
    
    Yes, I know i like it when my opponents tell me what their next move is before they make it. And it certainly gives ME the advantage whenever I give such insights to my opponents. That’s straight up Sun Tzu.
  - http://evilbobdayjob.blogspot.com/ Deidzoeb
    
    “I will veto this bill” is what Obama said about NDAA, before he wrote: “I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions….”
- http://twitter.com/sqlrob Rob
  
  Action, not talk.
  
  He’s blowing smoke until it makes it to his desk.
  - Guest
    
    until it reaches his desk, that’s the one constitutional option he has. Hate on him for it, or take a civics class.
    - http://twitter.com/sqlrob Rob
      
      Right. Talk is all he can do now.
      
      But given all the BS he’s spouted before, why should I trust him to follow through?
cetaceanplease

As a Republican, I know a lot of conservative republican voters who were open to discussion about the legislation. However, any position taken by the Obama administration tends to cause a very rapid contrary ideological crystallization event in talk radio, and hence, its listeners. Once this occurs, competing positions are deemed ‘liberal’ and disregarded. Same thing happened with net neutrality. ”Something something… Obama taking over the internet… something something… shuts down political speech…” Super annoying.
- VicqRuiz
  
  I don’t know of any conservative blogger who supports SOPA/PIPA. Most of them seem to be as strongly opposed as is BB.
  
  Those who get all their news from talk radio may be a different matter.
- Guest
  
  You know, one of these day’s you’ll recognize that the people who do that are using you as an example of the sort of reasonable person who agrees with them AS they shut down debate, in YOUR name.
- http://evilbobdayjob.blogspot.com/ Deidzoeb
  
  Agreed, people who form their political opinions based on talk radio are super annoying.
ComradeQuestions

It’s unfortunate that people are getting so hung up on the technical details of SOPA/PIPA without really getting into the real problem: these bills allow the justice department and private entities to suppress free speech without due process. The DNS blocking is just a mechanism, and if it’s removed from the bills, they’ll just come up with some other way to implement it.

It would be like if Congress presented the president with a bill that said the police are allowed to use rubber bullets to suppress OWS protesters, and the president’s only complaint was “well, obviously rubber bullets aren’t the way to do it”.
http://evilbobdayjob.blogspot.com/ Deidzoeb

“I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions…”

*sigh*
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TIE3A6Q43CLOJ252YKGN77PWTU Will W

Next Wednesday Reddit, Mozilla, Wikipedia & Facebook (possibly) and a number of other prominent sites will “go dark” for some time to protest & draw attention to SOPA & PIPA. WIth some luck, the mainstream TV/cable news will finally pick up the story then (where would Anderson Cooper’s 5 assistants be without Wikipedia?). The news from the White House is good, and well timed, so they clearly are trying to influence things in a positive direction. I will call and fax on Tuesday AM to thank/prod them more (and CNN/MSNBC to ask why there has been NO coverage, at least not in the last 8 weeks?).

Check out http://sopablackout.org/ It’s next Wednesday, 1/18/12 If it’s big, there could be massive press coverage, finally, and that could be the real tipping point to defeat the SOPA?PIPA fiasco.
Ito Kagehisa

The only thing I liked in SOPA and PIPA was the breaking of the US stranglehold on global DNS.
- Stonewalker
  
  Hey, buzz off! We built the internets! At least the first one…
  - Ito Kagehisa
    
    Yeah, I was personally involved. The transition from host tables to DNS was pretty rough for the first 48 hours!
    
    I seem to remember a fair number of Germans being there right from the DARPAnet days, too….
http://scavenger-ethic.blogspot.com/ scav

Pretty much agree with most of the posters here: this is noise not signal. It means nothing. The fight is to stop these corporate censorship bills, not hope the president will ever grow a pair of balls and uphold your constitution or anything like that.

The remaining posters who want to make this about the relative merits of this particular president are so missing the point. If he disappeared without trace tomorrow or was replaced by Ron Paul or Hilary Clinton it wouldn’t make the situation one jot better or worse, because your separation of powers has pretty much irrevocably broken down. Power is now divided between the Executive branch (owned by corporations), the Legislature (owned by corporations) and the Judiciary (at BEST massively underpowered to fix the situation, at worst piecemeal owned by corporate interests and technologically clueless — you poor bastards still have software patents for fuck’s sake).

Youse are pretty much fucked, and I feel for you. I wish you every success in seeing where the stranglehold can be broken. Because Mr president isn’t going to help.
http://scavenger-ethic.blogspot.com/ scav

== fffuuuck, sorry again ==
Stonewalker

As long as he’s (the executive office) has the kill switch…
Guest

Hm…
Thebes42

First, I don’t trust any “promises” from Mr Hope and Sellout.
Second, I note that he seems concerned only about the DNS provisions of SOPA. While those are the worst part- taking them out is like kicking us in the balls and punching us in the gut, instead of kicking us in the balls, punching us in the gut and giving us a fat lip.
monitorhead

Ooohh.. they used the term “Best Practices.” How very corporate of them. lolz
- monitorhead
  
  ….And by having a feral internet full of piracy criminals, middle class jobs will be lost? I’m afraid i don’t understand that part.
Winski

AND, they pissed off uncle Rupe and the Flying Monkey Wire-Tap Squad… So, does this mean that they’ll be trying to tap the Whitehouse next?