Rep. Darrell Issa on Monday praised Google’s recent decision to update its search search algorithm to fight the use of pirated content.
“In an unprecedented step, Google has introduced new search engine capabilities to make sure that legal content is readily available to consumers and illegal, pirated content is further demoted in users’ results,” said Issa, who authored the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act, known as OPEN Act.
“This announcement represents a milestone in the private sector, as cooperation between technology companies and content creators helps ensure that intellectual property is protected. Users will now be able to readily identify and access legal content like music and movies while avoiding pirated works from rogue sites in China and Russia.
Google announced Friday that it will update its DMCA, or Digital Millennium Copyright Act, algorithm in the upcoming week. Google explained on its public policy blog that the algorithm is used to “downrank sites for which we received a large number of valid DMCA notices. We’ve now refined the signal in ways we expect to visibly affect the rankings of some of the most notorious sites.”
Issa, a Republican, represents the 49th District, which includes coastal San Diego from Del Mar north, plus Vista and San Marcos, as well as large parts of south Orange County.
