Anti-Censorship Win of the Day: In a major victory for the Internet, and major blow to its would-be censors, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), co-sponsor of SOPA’s sister bill PIPA, has officially withdrawn his support for the legislation.
“I have been a co-sponsor of the PROTECT IP Act because I believe it’s important to protect American ingenuity, ideas and jobs from being stolen through Internet piracy, much of it occurring overseas through rogue websites in China,” the Senator wrote in a post on his Facebook page. “However, we must do this while simultaneously promoting an open, dynamic Internet environment that is ripe for innovation and promotes new technologies.”
In addition to withdrawing his support out of “concerns about the impact the bill could have on access to the Internet,” Sen. Rubio also urges Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid “to abandon his plan to rush the bill to the floor.”
PIPA is currently slated to be voted on next Tuesday, January 24th.
[facebook / @marcorubio.]
Holy crap, a FL Republican congressman does the right thing? :O I’m genuinely surprised. They usually don’t budge down here.