Remember the SECURE IT bill, backed in the House by Marsha Blackburn and Mary Bono Mack, and in the Senate by John McCain and the gang? One of the key reasons I like the idea is that it enhances our options for prosecuting online crime. And contrary to ACLU hysteria, it’s not the Republican bill that is a threat to our liberties. Sharing reasonable, relevant information is not a problem. Guess what: information is the life blood of Internet defense. The Lieberman-Collins threat of an effective government take over of the Internet: that’s the problem.
Also a problem though are the attackers themselves: whether far away or based in an allied nation, information sharing is vital to defense. And when they’re domestic, criminal prosecution hurts them.
We must never forget, when plotting regulation though, that irrelevance is always just around the corner in fast-moving industries. If we shackle Google too much, we’ll kill those jobs.
Aereo, the firm that’s innovating in the offering of online access to your very own antenna for your very own stream of broadcast television, is under attack by broadcasters. They were prepared it seems, because they’re fighting back. Good for them. What’s the difference between hooking my antenna up to my own screen over the Internet or an ordinary cable? Nothing.
PATENT WARS: a new battle. Yahoo goes after Facebook. That could be interesting! No idea if it has any merit, though.