Add the signature of Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) to those who
have signed the Declaration of Internet Freedom, which was launched July 2 by a
host of net neutrality backers, from ACLU and Free Press to Mozilla and reddit
cofounder Alexis Ohanian.
"Through its open and transparent structure, the
Internet has transformed into a platform supporting thousands of innovative companies,
applications and services and millions of new jobs. I've always been a
consistent defender of an open Internet in Congress," said Eshoo, cochair
of the congressional Internet caucus, in a statement. "I'm pleased to
continue this advocacy by signing the Declaration of Internet Freedom."
According to Free Press, so far four legislators are among
the 75,000 or so individuals (plus 1,800 groups/organizations) that have signed
on to thefour-point pledge, which boils down to rejecting censorship, promoting
openness, protecting innovation and securing privacy and individual control.
Eshoo joins Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Jared Polis
(D-Colo.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). All four were opponents of online piracy
legislation SOPA and PROTECT IP (PIPA), which they argued gave content owners
the power to block websites on mere suspicion of piracy.
