User blog comment:Craiglpalmer/SOPA and PIPA Situation Summary/@comment-1502901-20120118013855/@comment-4625146-20120118022235

The internet started in the USA. ICANN operates in the USA. And the internet is in a weird place in that regional governments can make changes that affect users globally.

The USA has essentially held the Internet in trust for the world with ICANN and other institutions. SOPA and PIPA are bad for foreign policy from that point.