We’re still in wait and see mode on what the Obama administration will try with respect to cybersecurity, but of course they’ll use every news event as justification. Here’s the problem though: Attacks like the Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia prove that businesses must use best practices, but government regulation will only hinder industry from keeping up with the latest. Regulation is too slow. Government is too restrictive, and not accountable enough.
Of course the President himself continues to try to make the pitch, but in the end I agree with Eric Cantor. The administration wants unchecked power, and Cybersecurity is the next buzzword after Net Neutrality that is being used as an excuse. Cantor calls it the ‘imperial presidency.’
Left-wing groups have gone to international organizations in the run up to this election, seeking to apply global governance to the United States. The results of this is that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE, not the UN as is often reported) has announced it will send election observers, with the implication that Voter ID laws are a problem.
Now, the reason they’re only investigating Republican-run areas is that Republicans would never run to the OSCE or anyone else to interfere with American elections. But that said, we must not let the OSCE observers think they are above the law. The OSCE is a voluntary organization and it has no binding authority over anyone, which is why Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has warned the OSCE that Texas laws will apply, including bars on unlawful entry of polling places.
Continue reading »
Haven’t heard about the Cybersecurity Executive Order in a while. Maybe they’re getting talked out of it at the Obama White House? Or maybe they’re hoping to sneak it in just before Romney is inaugurated?
Meanwhile, FTC locks down yet another firm under consent decree, in this case Compete.com. Regulating the world beyond statutory authority through the back door. That’s what the consent decree era means.
Continue reading »
Remember when AT&T tried to get T-Mobile’s spectrum in order to give Verizon some more competition? And how Sprint opposed that because it would heighten competition? Well now it’s turnabout. SoftBank is attempting to buy a majority of Sprint, which will in turn take a majority of Clearwire. That will give Softbank control of a large amount of US Spectrum. So AT&T wants regulatory review. Heh.
To be clear, I think it’s a good thing that firms are doing what they can to get spectrum and compete, even if I laugh at the revenge attempt going on here. In fact I think it would have been very interesting to see Softbank/Sprint/Clearwire vs AT&T/T-Mobile vs Verizon. But we’ll see what shakes out in the end.
Continue reading »
Google is a target now. The EU is threatening to do its people a disservice by trying to fight Google innovation as hard as they fight Microsoft innovation. Because here’s the thing: people who voluntarily use Google software are not at all the same as people who were snooped on by Google Street View vans. They’re not victims. They’re people choosing to sign their privacy away. The EU, in attacking Google, is restricting choice for Europeans.
Meanwhile, in the US, I have to disagree with Scott Cleland on Google’s FTC issues. Regular readers know I’m hard on Google when it’s warranted: in the Wi Spy mess, and in the Safari hack, I supported regulatory action against the firm. But the antitrust and Search Neutrality disputes are stupid, and are themselves political power grabs. The Obama regulators are themselves political power seekers. Google is not politicizing any process. Obama and his people already did.
Continue reading »
Two points on cybersecurity tonight. The first is that Harry Reid and Barack Obama aren’t on the same page. The latter is still working toward a (probably illegal) executive order, while the former is talking about trying again to pass the rejected Lieberman-Collins Cybersecurity Act. Meanwhile we backers of the Marlin Stutzman campaign have been vindicated, as Dan Coats is siding with Harry Reid on this, the Internet Kill Switch bill, with the IKS removed but everything else left intact.
With Republicans like that, who needs Democrats?
Continue reading »
Oh man, I forgot to finish this Friday night. Oops.
Funny how Google says they can’t fix Googlebombs when the fact is, Google is constantly improving its search algorithms. After all, the Bush-era Googlebombs of WhiteHouse.gov disappeared pretty quick after Obama was elected.
Stuff like this is why I don’t expect Google’s regulatory problems to go away in the event of a Romney win. Google has left its systems open (Blogger, Search, Youtube) for the left to abuse the right, and has been slow to react. It’s going to be very easy for the left wing of the GOP to get talked into expanding government to come after them, unfortunately.
Continue reading »
SP: Rube Waddell (HOF)
RP: Trevor Hoffman (Ought to get in the HOF)
C: Frankie Hayes (14 seasons, 6 ASG)
1B: Scott Cooper (7 seasons, 2 ASG)
2B: Eddie Yost (18 seasons, 1 ASG)
SS: Mike Gazella (4 seasons)
3B: Eddie Mathews (HOF)
LF: Bob Bailey (17 seasons)
CF: Ben Paschal (8 seasons)
RF: Chris Gwynn (10 seasons, related to the great Tony Gwynn)
Remember the Google Wi-Spy Street View scandal? A seemingly-harmless survey of the country turned into a massive snooping operation, and the FTC smacked them for over 20 million dollars. Well, not only is FCC now wasting money with a survey of Internet speeds, but it turns out that the FCC program runs the risk of warrantless snooping of its own!
We need strong, reformist regulators to be appointed in the next administration to stop stuff like this.
Continue reading »