U.S. senators are considering extending domain name seizure powers to combat the growing problem of online piracy — or digital piracy.
Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, has promised to introduce a new bill that would target rogue websites and would be broadly similar to the rejected Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act.
The proposed act would bestow new powers on the Department of Justice and would allow digital copyright infringement to be more easily policed.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Democrat, said, “I contend that America is on the losing end of the largest transfer of wealth through theft and piracy in the history of mankind.”
“We’re doing virtually nothing about it,” he added.
The U.S. department for Immigration and Customs Enforcement has already been using its powers to seize domain names it suspects of taking part in criminal activity, much to the chagrin of free Web access activists.