Hawaiian Politician Wants To Track Everyone Online Because Someone Doesn't Like Her... Backs Down After Public Backlash
from the bad-legislating dept
Always beware of politicans pushing legislation because of a personal experience. Declan McCullagh has the story of an astoundingly, ridiculously broad data retention bill in Hawaii that would require anyone who provides internet access to keep a detailed dossier on every website everyone who uses their service visits (tied to their name). The bill includes a broad definition of internet access provider, such that anyone who provides free WiFi may be forced to keep this same info. Furthermore, it has no privacy provisions at all -- such as requiring the data be encrypted or even forbidding service providers from then selling the data.The really stunning part of the article, however, is that when McCullagh asks the Hawaiian state Senator who introduced the Senate version about the background of the bill, it becomes clear that the politician in question doesn't appear to know what's in the bill, nor understand the implications of her own bill. Instead, it comes out she introduced it as a favor to another politician who had a "personal experience" this is intended to deal with:
What happened with Pine? Apparently a "disgruntled web designer" had created a website about Pine that calls her a crook and says she owes him money. It sounds like a typical "I don't like this person" website. There are lots of them out there, and they can be obnoxious... but that's no reason to completely destroy everyone's privacy online. Pine also claims that her email was hacked, though it's not clear if that was related.Democrat Jill Tokuda, the Hawaii Senate's majority whip, who introduced a companion bill, S.B. 2530, in the Senate, told CNET that her legislation was intended to address concerns raised by Rep. Kymberly Pine, the first Republican elected to her Oahu district since statehood and the House minority floor leader.
"I was asked to introduce the Senate companions on these Internet security related bills by Representative Kymberly Marcos Pine after her own personal experience in this area," Tokuda said. "I would defer to her on the origins of these bills as she has done the research and outreach, and been the main champion of this effort."
I'm sure it's no fun to be the subject of someone saying mean things about you online. Or to have your email hacked. Those things suck. But to then rush out to pass massive data retention laws that take away people's privacy seems like a massive overreaction.
Thankfully, with enough public backlash, Pine is apparently backing down somewhat, admitting that the bill probably went too far. It's great that she's realizing this now... but shouldn't politicians be expected to understand these kinds of things before they try to regulate?
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Filed Under: backlash, data retention, hawaii, kim pine, privacy
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Republican or Democratic Sizes Available only
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Pass a bill like this
On a serious note the people in politics really need to get a tech clue.
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Not Biased
NDAA for starters, Obama should have Vetoed on Constitutional basis.
NY State Senators attacking Free Speech.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111001/00002316160/ny-state-senators-say-weve-got-too-mu ch-free-speech-introduce-bill-to-fix-that.shtml
Holders' DOJ going after EVERYONE!
Including wanting to lie on FOIA requests.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111104/16003216640/justice-department-drops-its-reques t-to-be-allowed-to-lie-response-to-foia-requests.shtml
Sending attack dogs against Sen Wyden for asking legit Constitutional questions.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111012/10072216326/senator-wyden-asks-president-obama -isnt-congress-required-to-approve-acta.shtml
Govt backlash of promised Govt transparency.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111214/03264917079/freedom-information-document-du mp-ice-about-domain-seizures-almost-totally-redacted.shtml
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111 012/11465316328/dhs-says-no-to-requests-public-affairs-contact-numbers-hysterically-cites-privacy-co ncerns.shtml
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111010/04043716279/nytimes-sues-federal-governmen t-refusing-to-reveal-its-secret-interpretation-patriot-act.shtml
Jerry "Moonbeam" sanctioning illegal cell phone searches.
Reid, Leahy & Dodd backing the MPAA against the people.
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Re: Not Biased
The problem is not one or the other party is how the system is setup, those parameters are the things the define the outcome.
The input regulates the output in other words.
It doesn't matter who you got there, it will always have the same end result, it is not about democrats or republicans is about how the system is setup that make it easy to ignore the rights of the citizens they govern.
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Re: Re: Not Biased
http://www.salon.com/2011/12/16/three_myths_about_the_detention_bill/
Scapegoating to a system that is "against us" is again BS. The system is set up for a single, brave person to make a stand like Sen Wyden is with ACTA.
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Is this the site?
Clearly considering the way she is responding to these allegations, and serious nature of the allegations means that more digging needs to be done...
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Beware Of Republican Bearing Bills
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From the cnet article about this...
"• H.B. 2288 wasn't primarily based on her own experience of being subjected to a political attack site. "It's really all the victims that have come forward after this," she said. And crimes "relating to child pedophiles and things like that." "
Its for the children!!!!!!
I didn't do this so I could suppress people who might out my bad acts, we have to stop child molesters!
Has she not watched the Wizard of Oz enough to know that no matter how big the display is to distract people someone always pulls the curtain aside and reveals the truth?
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facts?
AND What Pine backed down on, was the bill about web designers specifically as it had some gray areas she didn't anticipate. 2 different bills.
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