There’s an interesting bill to keep an eye on as it moves through Congress. It won’t grab SOPA-type headlines yet but it’s a bill designed to prevent U.S. companies from doing business with countries that crack down on online freedom. The Global Online Freedom Act (I guess we call it GOFA?), sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (D-N.J.), has been around for many years but has gained momentum in the months following the revolution in Egypt and other Arab Spring events. A vote on the bill is expected tomorrow in the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights.
An aide to Smith said he expects the subcommittee will approve the bill and that the full Foreign Affairs Committee will take up the measure in “the near future.”
The bill has also been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
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