( Mashable ) -- Technology issues might not be the most pressing topic facing Paul Ryan — Mitt Romney 's running mate — as he campaigns for the White House . In fact , given the state of the economy and the other high-level issues facing the country , it 's unlikely that Ryan or any of the other national candidates will be asked substantial questions about technology policy in the coming months . However , even if Ryan does n't get asked a single question about technology or the Internet , it 's still possible to glean some of his positions from his voting record and prior interviews . Here , we have done just that . Stop Online Piracy Act & Internet piracy . The Stop Online Piracy Act , or SOPA , was almost universally vilified by those in the tech community . Ryan never co-sponsored the bill , but that did n't stop rumors from circulating that he supported it . Eventually , Ryan was at least partially forced to make a statement on the bill by pressure from a group of anti-SOPA Reddit users who either found his stance vague or believed he supported the bill . That group began `` Operation Pull Ryan , '' a grassroots effort to support Ryan 's opponent in an upcoming Congressional race . Soon after the Reddit group began gaining momentum , Ryan announced his opposition to SOPA , saying that it would create `` the precedent and possibility for undue regulation , censorship and legal abuse . '' He added that the Internet is `` one of the most magnificent expressions of freedom and free enterprise in history '' and it should `` stay that way . '' He did , however , add that Internet piracy was a `` legitimate problem . '' The opponent supported by the Redditors , Rob Zerban , declared his opposition to SOPA and did an `` Ask Me Anything , '' a form of crowdsourced interview for which Reddit has become famous . Later , Zerban credited the Redditor 's efforts to get Ryan to commit to an anti-SOPA stance . `` Reddit was able to force the House Budget Chair to reverse course — shock waves will be felt throughout the establishment in Washington today , and other lawmakers will take notice , '' wrote Zerban . Net neutrality . Net neutrality , the idea that Internet networks should n't distinguish between the types of traffic carried across them , is a contentious issue in Congress . Many liberals feel it would prevent Internet Service Providers from slowing the web services of competitors , while many conservatives believe it interferes with the free market by regulating private industry . Ryan , a conservative Republican , falls into that latter camp . In 2006 , he voted against a Democrat-sponsored amendment that would have established network neutrality as law . Last year , Ryan voted for a House resolution disapproving of FCC regulations mandating that any traffic management on the part of ISPs be `` reasonable '' — a step towards net neutrality . Open government . Ryan , who has an active online presence , is a proponent of open government and a fan of technology 's impact on governance : . `` When I started in Congress it was 90 % paper , 10 % electronic , now it 's 90 % electronic , 10 % paper and constituent correspondence is up tenfold , '' said Ryan of technology 's impact on the relationship between voters and elected officials during an interview at Facebook . `` [ Technology and social media ] strips away the intermediary that media plays between people and their government . It gets rid of that middleman and allows people to interact directly with their elected officials . The flattening of that process has been tremendously helpful to those of us who want to hear what people think . '' Is it important to you that the president and vice president share your opinion on technology issues ? Do you want Ryan , Romney , President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to directly address their stances on tech policy ? Share your thoughts in the comments . Read the original article on Mashable . © 2011 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved .
It 's possible to glean some of Paul Ryan 's positions on tech issues from his voting record and prior interviews . Ryan publicly opposed SOPA , although he added that Internet piracy was a `` legitimate problem '' He voted against an amendment that would have established network neutrality as law .