Oppose the DEFEND IP Act — It Builds a Censorship Machine, Not Copyright Protection

Vote no on the DEFEND IP Act. This bill doesn't protect creators — 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. Worse, there is no deterrent for bad faith blocking. No penalties for silencing protected speech. No meaningful remedy for site owners, users, or readers who lose access. We already see DMCA takedowns weaponized to kill criticism and commentary — DEFEND IP hands bad actors a far more powerful tool with even fewer guardrails. Congress has tried this before. SOPA and PIPA failed in 2012 because the public recognized site-blocking for what it is: a threat to the open web dressed up as copyright enforcement. DEFEND IP is the same rotten idea. Please oppose it.