WATCH: Could The Government Really Shut Down Facebook?
UPDATE: Lots of coverage of our efforts this week. THE HILL: Groups slam online piracy efforts; TECHDIRT: People Across Political Spectrum Come Out Against COICA Censorship Bill; CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY: Online piracy bipartisan domain; POLITICO: Groups blast Leahy piracy bill.
ORIGINAL: We need your help: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are out of control. They've been seizing domain names without due process: they shut down 84,000 sites by accident last month, arrested a man for linking to other websites, and government officials think ICE and DHS are claiming powers that would even threaten sites like Facebook.
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren -- who opposes the seizures -- made that point at last week's hearing on online copyright infringement. She said that, "If ICE is to be believed [Facebook] would be taken down."
You read that right: the agencies in charge of policing the Internet are so heavy-handed that they're claiming powers that could let them shut down Facebook. You can watch key clips of last week's hearing in our new video about these critical threats to Internet freedom. Will you view it and the sign our petition against the seizures by filling out the form at right?
Here's the text of the petition to DHS and ICE:
PETITION TO JANET NAPOLITANO, DIRECTOR OF HOMELAND SECURITY, AND JOHN MORTON, DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: There's nothing wrong or illegal about posting a link to a website. It's obscene that DHS and ICE would interpret the law in a way that would give them authority to shut down Facebook and sites like it. You need to put an end to your policy of seizing domain names right away.