Fred Wilson

It’s no surprise that the proposal by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) to boost the government’s authority to disrupt and shutter websites that hawk or host trademark- and copyright-infringing products would draw a harsh reaction from interest groups like Public Knowledge and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California), whose district includes the headquarters of Google, Facebook and Apple, blasted last week’s proposal, too, saying if the measure passed, “this would mean the end of the internet as we know it.”

That’s not surprising, given the bill allows private p...