Obama administration joins the ranks of SOPA skeptics | Hacker News Reader

Obama administration joins the ranks of SOPA skeptics

arstechnica.com

40 pointsSlimy7 comments

They haven't joined the skeptics ranks. They're just playing kabuki.

"[The Whitehouse] will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet."

The problem with politics is that every point in this one sentence can have a particular meaning. For example, the Whitehouse may feel that PIPA doesn't reduce the freedom of expression or increase cybersecurity risk; so unless they say "we don't like SOPA/PIPA" what they wrote isn't a stance, but yet another PR statement that spouts rainbows and unicorns while saying nothing during election year.

Yes, this statement just means "any legislation we pass will be assumed not to do these things, and even if it does we will issue a signing statement that says it doesn't."

I'm curious to see how this proposed conference call would go. "There's no way to eliminate piracy without outlawing computation." "Oh really? We'll take that under advisement. Thanks."

Unfortunately this may create momentum _for_ SOPA as a partisan issue among those who are for anything the Obama administration is against.

If that's skepticism, then James Randi believes in the easter bunny.

Their full response to the petition is here:

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition-tool/response/combating...

Anything with Espinel as the lead author does not inspire my confidence. There was a flurry of reporting around the time of her confirmation, but for a brief example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Espinel#Career

P.S. Notice how this is just, finally, happening a few days before the proposed "blackout" date. I believe one common phrase for this is "getting ahead of the story". (Thanks again, "West Wing".)

Are any of the other candidates on record re: SOPA?

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