Tell Congress: Oppose H.R. 1981

Despite the fact that the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) were shelved after facing vehement opposition from the American people, Big Government politicians are still pushing for internet controls.

H.R. 1981, officially called the “Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011,” sounds noble, but its effects would be muss less. Though parents and communities are right in wanting to protect children from online trash, this bill is not the solution. As is the case with most things the government does for “our good,” the title doesn’t make clear exactly what it will do. Simply put, H.R. 1981 is a cleverly disguised way to force online service providers to spy on your online activities and provide that information to the government. The Electronic Frontier Foundation rightfully calls it the “Data Retention Bill.” 

The bill would require providers to keep DETAILED RECORDS OF:       

-Your internet activity for 12 months;
-Your name;
-Your address;
-Your bank account numbers;
-Your credit card numbers;
-Any IP addresses assigned to you 

Under this bill, if you were suspected of wrongdoing on the internet—for instance, of downloading child pornography—this information could be gathered by subpoena process. We expect law enforcement to gain access to this information. But, H.R. 1981 mandates that these records be kept ON EVERY CITIZEN IN AMERICA and will be accessible by the government regardless of whether or not you have been accused of a crime!

PLEASE TAKE ACTION TO DEFEND THE EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY FROM GOVERNMENT -- SIGN, SEND, and SHARE THIS PETITION!