Apple, Microsoft, Adobe and Intel All Support Internet Censorship Bill

Over the past week, Republican Congressman Lamar Smith has gained traction in his push for the “Stop Online Piracy Act,” a sweeping bill that could require ISPs to block users from accessing websites suspected of hosting pirated material and intellectual property, from movies to music to software, and yes, even gifs.

The Business Software Alliance has come out in support of the bill, which, it turns out, counts Adobe, Apple, Dell, Intel, McAfee and Microsoft among its members. On one hand, it’s understandable, as software produced by the aforementioned, from Photoshop to Final Cut Pro, regularly tally the highest number of downloads via torrent sites and p2ps.  But companies like Apple, in particular, grew out of a hacker culture predicated upon the kind of freedom the bill would stop.

There is one conspicuous absentee from the list, though: Google.

[via Gizmodo]