Congressional advocates of the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, as well as the recently passed PROTECT IP Act, contend that each will provide essential intellectual property protection to American businesses. However, several big names in the technology community have recently come forward to suggest legislators may not fully understand the digital implications of these bills.

According to Bloomberg, officials from Google, Yahoo, Facebook, eBay and other leading technology companies recently signed a letter to Congress expressing their collective concern over several provisions. Within the statement, representatives suggested that some of the tactics called upon to halt the expansion of online piracy may also threaten national cybersecurity in the process.

Independent analysis conducted by Brookings Institute researchers yielded similar conclusions.

"This paper does not deal with the questions of economic value, free expression or other issues raised by advocates on both sides," explained Brookings spokesman Allan Friedman. "Instead, I highlight the very real threats to cybersecurity in a small section of both bills in their attempt to execute policy through the internet architecture."

Within the report, Friedman suggested that the legislation would add greater complexity to cyberspace management and potentially inhibit separate, parallel initiatives. Also, the analyst noted that such regulation may inspire renewed vigor from the cybercriminal community, potentially compromising additional intellectual assets with their efforts.