The Special Rapporteurs were particularly concerned about then-pending US legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act. Specifically, the creation of extrajudicial notice-and-termination procedures requiring a website to police user-generated content and targeting entire websites for even small portions of its content, that have potential impact on freedom of speech. At that time, the Special Rapporteurs were encouraged to see that Congress and the Obama Administration backed away from SOPA and reaffirmed they would not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression on the Internet.
The summary of this document is part of the report produced on the Stanford Law School Intermediary Liability and Human Rights Policy Practicum and is based on the work of Mirena Taskova. The full report “The ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ and Blocking Orders under the American Convention: Emerging Issues in Intermediary Liability and Human Rights”, can be accessed here.