Senator Blumenthal: Dismissing All Critics Of EARN IT As 'Big Tech Lobbyists' Shows Your Unwillingness To Recognize The Massive Problems In Your Bill

from the obnoxious dept

In the past, whenever Senator Richard Blumenthal has been called out for his many terrible legislative ideas regarding regulating technology and the internet, he has a habit of dismissing all of the concerns by claiming the complaints are only coming from "big tech lobbyists." He did this a few years ago with FOSTA, which has since proven to be exactly the disaster many of us warned Senator Blumenthal about at the time. This time around, he's going straight to the same playbook again, and it's good to see that he's getting some pushback. Nathalie Maréchal, from Ranking Digital Rights has published a great piece over at Tech Policy Press: No, Senator Blumenthal, I am not a Big Tech Lobbyist.

Ranking Digital Rights is about as far from a "big tech lobbyist" as you can find. The organization has been advocating for the FTC to ban targeted advertising, which is basically the key way in which both Google and Facebook make the majority of their money. And yet, it also recognizes the dangers of EARN IT.

The article notes that over 60 human rights groups signed a detailed letter highlighting the many problems of the bill. For Blumenthal to simply dismiss all of those concerns -- put together by respected groups who are in no way "big tech lobbyists" -- shows his pure disdain for facts and unwillingness to put in the effort to understand the very real damage his bill will do should it become law.

It's shameful behavior for a US senator, even if not surprising.

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Filed Under: criticism, earn it, encryption, good faith, lobbyists, richard blumenthal


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  1. icon
    K`Tetch (profile), 17 Feb 2022 @ 9:05pm

    I for one would love to be a Big Tech Lobbyist. How do I go about that? I'm assuming it's well paid? So, how did all those people in your office become lobbyists, Blumenthal?

    Whats that? You want me to "get off your lawn'"?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    That Anonymous Coward (profile), 17 Feb 2022 @ 10:07pm

    Lets see...
    Mike makes $0 from Google...
    How much are the various assbags of society paying this piece of shit to do their bidding?

    Perhaps he should explain why he is unable/unwilling to answer any of the claims that hes pushing a shitty damaging bill and instead just sticks his fingers in his ears yelling "you're a lobbyist shill".
    I mean its not like we are voters & citizens that are going to be fucked over by him tripling down on trying to screw up the internet even more than the last time he pulled this stunt, ignored those who warned him what would happen, called them names & low and behold his shitty law made things worse.

    Senator... why are you such a shitbag?
    Now he'll bitch and complain that I used mean words, but he'll still not be able to answer basic concerns about his bill.
    How much money did it take to sell us all out Senator, because no bill is pushed unless someone pays you to do it for them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 17 Feb 2022 @ 10:15pm

    You'd think I would have known before now

    So that's why I suddenly started getting checks from Google and Facebook in the mail recently, good to finally have that cleared up.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 17 Feb 2022 @ 10:25pm

    Re:

    How much money did it take to sell us all out Senator, because no bill is pushed unless someone pays you to do it for them.

    A very good point, if the only way to have a position on a bill is if someone is paying you then clearly someone must be paying him for these terrible bills, and given FOSTA was a disaster to everyone but criminals and FOSTA 2.0/EARN IT stand to be the same his own argument does not suggest good things about who's paying him.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    PaulT (profile), 17 Feb 2022 @ 11:32pm

    Re: You'd think I would have known before now

    I feel left out. I haven't even got my checks from George Soros yet and I was promised that I was a full time employee of his by some people :(

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    me, 18 Feb 2022 @ 5:38am

    Blumie is a career politician (WHORE) afraid of needing real emp

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 18 Feb 2022 @ 5:57am

    Objection, sex workers already have to deal with enough crap without their image being further tainted by comparing them to politicians.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 18 Feb 2022 @ 6:19am

    c'mon! be fair! when has anyone ever admitted to screwing things as bad as he has? when you've got the position but not got the sense, you'll blame anyone and everyone except yourself for fucking up! i'm so curious as to who paid him what for bringing this disaster into law though! the truth would be such a story!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. icon
    sumgai (profile), 18 Feb 2022 @ 9:05am

    Re:

    i'm so curious as to who paid him ,,,

    Where are those Anonymous doxers when you need them??

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Claude Bahlz, 18 Feb 2022 @ 10:02am

    Malice VS Stupidity 2022

    "...and unwillingness to put in the effort to understand the very real damage his bill will do should it become law."

    Don't be so bloody naieve.
    Blumers knows full well what the bill will do.
    He knows how much and what kind of damage the bill will cause.
    It is his goal.
    He's not stupid.
    He's a fascist.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    Strawb (profile), 18 Feb 2022 @ 12:24pm

    Re: Malice VS Stupidity 2022

    Hanlon's razor.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    Pixelation, 18 Feb 2022 @ 3:17pm

    Re: Re: Malice VS Stupidity 2022

    So what you are saying is, Blumenthal is stupid and malicious.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 18 Feb 2022 @ 11:22pm

    That's the same thing they did in Britain and Australia to attack their critics. He's just following the same playbook.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. icon
    That Anonymous Coward (profile), 19 Feb 2022 @ 10:26am

    Re: Re:

    Could be the anti-porn brigade who are convinced that porn is the reason the world is a shit hole not that fact that these high and mighty moral crusaders are some of the most corrupt & foul people we've ever seen.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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