Later today, huge sites like Wikipedia and Reddit will “black out” in protest of SOPA, and the MPAA doesn’t like the behaviour of these “technology business interests” one bit.
The statement comes down from none other than MPAA Chairman and former Senator from Connecticut Chris Dodd:
It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information and use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today. It’s a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.
Even if this is really only an obligatory posturing statement from the monolithic organisation, it’s almost laughably heavy-handed and hyperbolic. As private enterprises, Wikipedia and Reddit have the right to exercise free speech the same way as anyone else. More importantly, though, it’s awfully brazen of the MPAA to accuse the sites of inhibiting access to information when SOPA is essentially a pro-censorship bill. [The Next Web]