San Jose Mercury News: Net privacy laws will have to wait. High-tech companies are particularly worried that new legislation would forbid Web sites from collecting personal information — such as buying preferences, name, home and e-mail addresses — unless the consumer gives a site explicit consent.
Congress passed almost every law the technology bosses wanted during this session. The law the public wanted but the industry didn’t want– genuine privacy protections for online consumers — went nowhere.Golly, what a surprise.
Broadcast Bandits
William Safire: Spectrum Squatters. Let’s find out if either candidate would propose legislation to stop the giveaway and to sell or lease the public’s spectrum — thereby bringing free broadcast digital TV to average Americans. Or would both let the huge ripoff roll?
Safire doesn’t really need to ask this question. The answer is obvious. The broadcast bandits have totally co-opted the politicians. And we all lose.