The i2Coalition, of which Blacknight has been a member for many years (and our CEO Michele Neylon was a former chair), has come out firmly against the EARN IT Act, a piece of legislation working its way through the sausage-making process in Washington DC. The act will make it harder to remove illegal content, introduce weaknesses into encryption, and ultimately make the Internet less safe.
They have signed an open letter, which has been sent to Senators Dick Durbin and Chuck Grassley, members of the Judiciary Committee who are responsible for this legislation.
As usual, the US government would like to do its best to misunderstand the internet and break how it works, and while Blacknight is an Irish company, these regulations will affect all of the internet and how it operates.
From the i2Coaltion:
“The i2Coalition represents those who build the Internet’s infrastructure. Our members proactively work to remove and report illegal and dangerous content, and routinely engage with law enforcement to assist and respond to valid requests for information pertaining to criminal activity online,” said Christian Dawson, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the i2Coalition. “While well-intentioned, the EARN IT Act would impair lawful speech and conduct, threaten the privacy of law-abiding citizens, limit innovation, and hinder law enforcement’s efforts against online child exploitation. It’s for these reasons that we’ve joined with other leading organizations to request that the Senate Judiciary Committee not proceed further with the EARN IT Act, and stop this flawed legislation from moving to the Senate floor.”
You can read the entire open letter here.
It was also signed by Computer & Communications Industry Association, ACT The App Association, Chamber of Progress, Consumer Technology Association, Developers Alliance, Engine, Internet Infrastructure Coalition, Mailfence, NetChoice, Software & Information Industry Association, and The Tor Project.