There is a disturbing tendency on the part of the US Congress to legislate the Internet. A case in point is HR 2271 backed by eleven US Representatives and submitted to review by the House Energy and Commerce and Foreign Affairs Committees last May(2009). Thankfully, there has been no serious deliberation on this proposed measure which intends to somehow regulate the Internet to promote, ironically, freedom of speech. In its preamble the intent is well articulated:
To prevent United States businesses from cooperating with repressive governments in transforming the Internet into a tool of censorship and surveillance, to fulfill the responsibility of the United States Government to promote freedom of expression on the Internet, to restore public confidence in the integrity of United States businesses, and for other purposes.
Reading between the lines you can discern that this bill was proposed in part in a reaction to Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft engaging in less than ethical collusion with the Chinese government; activities that have led to incarceration of bloggers and restrictions on access to information.
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