Oppose the DEFEND IP Act — It Builds a Censorship Machine

Vote no on the DEFEND IP Act. This bill doesn't defend creativity — it builds a censorship infrastructure into the architecture of the internet. Any rightsholder can go to court and get an order forcing service providers to block an entire website based on an allegation of infringement. Not a specific infringing file. The whole site, gone, for every user trying to reach it. The DMCA already lets rightsholders remove infringing content. DEFEND IP skips past that and goes straight to disappearing entire websites. And there's no deterrent for bad faith abuse — no penalties for blocking protected speech, no meaningful remedy for site owners, users, or readers who lose access. Challenging a blocking order means hiring a lawyer and fighting in court, while the site stays dark. We already see DMCA takedowns weaponized to silence criticism and commentary. DEFEND IP hands that same power a much bigger hammer, with far fewer checks. Congress has tried this before — SOPA and PIPA in 2012, and now Block BEARD, FADPA, and ACPA this session. Every one of them carries the same rotten core: that copyright enforcement requires a censorship machine. It doesn't. Please oppose DEFEND IP and reject site-blocking legislation for good.