Recently there has been a push for greater oversight of the Internet by the ever power-hungry members of Congress who are promoting a piece of legislation called the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The legislation is an attempt to enforce trademark and copyright laws on online violators.

Of course property rights are important to uphold, but the legislation gives the Department of Justice the power to shut down websites without due process according to the DoJ’s own discretion. That is an awful lot of power being handed to government in an age where Internet communication is so vitally important.

Fortunately, a great deal of opposition has risen up against this power grab by members of both political parties and a growing number of businesses. A bi-partisan alternative has been developed and will likely be proposed soon. The alternative is more commerce/market based, giving more of the oversight responsibilities to the International Trade Commission and offering a system of due process for those accused of wrongdoing.

The last thing the Internet needs is more regulation by government bureaucrats who have no sense of how the Internet really works. The Internet is an endless engine of growth and innovation that the government can only impede, not help. Freedom comes at a cost, which means paying for the goods and services we want – not downloading for free from shady online sources. If we want to keep government’s hands off the Internet we need to be part of the solution and call out those who are part of the problem.

The Internet will never be perfect and some will get away with whatever they can, but what comes around goes around. They will get theirs, don’t let it be an excuse for government to get involved.