“We will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression.”

The Obama Administration has responded to several anti-SOPA petitions today by urging Congress to use caution in regard to upcoming legislation dealing with online piracy.

Victoria Espinel, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget, Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and Howard Schmidt, Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator for National Security Staff have issued a joint statement on the key concerns the White House maintains on this issue:

While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.

Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small.

Across the globe, the openness of the Internet is increasingly central to innovation in business, government, and society and it must be protected.

{Further information on the White House position on the upcoming legislation is available at WhiteHouse.gov}