Gillibrand uses Facebook in retreat
28 January, 2012 Category: Silicon Alley, Startup Jobs No Comments 
Original post by REBECCA MELNITSKY via timesunion.com
ALBANY — U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand responded to concerns about the controversial Protect IP Act, a bill she co-sponsored, in an especially appropriate manner: on Facebook.
The measure would prosecute websites that “engage in, enable, or facilitate” copyright infringement. Facebook is one of many popular sites that have come out against PIPA and its House version, the Stop Online Piracy Act. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently weighed in by writing, “We can’t let poorly thought-out laws get in the way of the Internet’s development.”
In her posting Wednesday, Gillibrand struck a conciliatory tone: “Thank you for all your messages regarding Protect IP,” wrote the Democrat. “I agree there are real concerns with the current legislation & I’m working to make important changes to the bill. We must work to strike a balance between ending online piracy to protect New York jobs & ensuring Internet freedom so our tech community can continue to flourish.”
The majority of the 560 comments on Gillbrand’s status update were critical of the bill. “It’s not just that this is an oppressive law which will actually hurt online growth,” wrote Steve Manes, “the technical remedies underpinning it were apparently written by people who apparently have little practical knowledge of how the Internet actually works.”
