The internet allowed people to bypass the gatekeepers and possibly swung an election. Wikileaks showed how the DNC and the media functioned as one. That group is increasingly calling for the censorship of "fake news." They've gotten action and commitment from Facebook, Twitter and Google. They're trying to put the destructive nature of the internet back in the bottle.
You guys missed a huge issue here, rational ignorance. It's rational not to have knowledge on every subject. I have only so many hours in the day. Those hours can be spent on family, or work or school. The last thing I want to do is come home and spend my time on government.
Also, government is a complex system. How it chooses between two outcomes is almost always irrelevant to my life. How does anyone know which is the right answer? There might not even be a right answer. Why should I invest any more time on it?
Many economists think voting is a waste of time.
And finally, is democracy important or the appearance of democracy? Does it actually matter if all we have is democracy theater?
Just don't get it. How would anyone ever find out about articles on these sites? It would have to kill their online business model. It's like the newspapers know their going down and they want to take Google with them. Or at least try to.
Apple has been very vocal in saying that they don't agree with the judge's order. In order for the new build to work, Apple would have to sign it for authentication. It's very hard to see how the government isn't forcing Apple to sign speech that they are in vocal disagreement with.
It's almost like asking a newspaper to publish an op-ed the whole world knows they're in disagreement with.
To reinforce the idea that code is speech, Apple should publish the code for the iPhone in book form. It should take the book to the judge and highlight sections that the DOJ wants Apple to change. Then ask the judge to explain how the government isn't violating their right to free speech.
Is there anyone left who thinks our government acts in our best interest? We live in an age where if you don't want to get in trouble you best keep your head down and your mouth shut.
The internet was supposed to free us from outdated social norms enforced by our government. So far, it appears just to have given the government more ammunition to go after this week's disfavored group.
Is this generational? Will we turn the corner when judges who don't use email age out? Or will all the stops be in place by then to keep change from happening?
I don't know. But I'm not encouraged. China and the US don't seem too far apart on internet policy these days.
You just built a straw man and defeated it. Bravo. Meanwhile, type your next message out on your Soviet laptop - a typewriter facing a black & white TV.
Silicon Valley (tv show) seems to making IT a popular target to mock these days. Burning Man (the organizers) should be flattered that Quizno's thought the event was popular enough to be mocked.
This guy will be found guilty by a group of his peers. He will then hire Orin Kerr to defend him and when on appeal. Afterwards he'll gloat to the media and dare prosectors to retry him. They'll drop the case and he'll move to the middle east.
Uber took a market that was segmented by rent seekers and users who lacked political clout and cut through the bureaucracy and monopolies to provide a superior user experience at a cheaper price. I call this social justice profit taking.
What other segments in our society are overpriced due to entrenched interests? Guilds are an obvious answer: health care and law. And segments were the government is the largest provider: prisons, education, public education, policing.
To be the next Uber, a company is going to have to figure out how to reinvent a service that's been stifled by insiders and tradition. The next Uber will be even more controversial as it will taken on services that are considered sacred. Sacred but overpriced and underperforming.
Poor people see Uber in a much different way then the middle class. I've been using cabs in my city for close to 20 years. I'm disabled and can't drive. In my experience, most, or a majority, of cab riders in my city are "poor." These are people who can't afford a car and there are times when the bus just won't get you were you want to go or get you there fast enough.
The taxi companies worked closely with the Taxi commission to drive up rates. The city has for years added hospitality and hotel fees to taxi fares. These taxes were passed with the idea that only tourists would pay them. But everyone knew these taxes would mostly be paid by locals and there was nothing we could do about it. Because taxi riders have no political influence.
With Uber, while we now pay the local sales tax, does not not make us pay the fixed rates from the airport or the tourist taxes. They do this while undercutting the taxi monopoly rates. Anyone with a Smartphone can now get a much cheaper ride because Uber defeated rent seeking by a legacy industry.
Our local newspaper has taken to running sad stories about local taxi companies going out of business. Their trying to make us feel bad about how Uber is running these machine politics companies out of business. I cheer whenever I read these stories. Because they feed off of me for years. I want them all gone.
These guys have had too much legal success and don't seem to understand the Streisand Effect. So I suspect that a C&D and an takedown notice has already been sent to techdirt.
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by Will-INI.
Five Years From Now
The Gate Keepers
Idealistic
Also, government is a complex system. How it chooses between two outcomes is almost always irrelevant to my life. How does anyone know which is the right answer? There might not even be a right answer. Why should I invest any more time on it?
Many economists think voting is a waste of time.
And finally, is democracy important or the appearance of democracy? Does it actually matter if all we have is democracy theater?
(untitled comment)
(untitled comment)
Re: Re: Re:
It's almost like asking a newspaper to publish an op-ed the whole world knows they're in disagreement with.
Code Is Speech
Ignorance
Re: Was Ther Ever a Real Bomb Threat?
Facepalm
Keep Your Head Down
The internet was supposed to free us from outdated social norms enforced by our government. So far, it appears just to have given the government more ammunition to go after this week's disfavored group.
Is this generational? Will we turn the corner when judges who don't use email age out? Or will all the stops be in place by then to keep change from happening?
I don't know. But I'm not encouraged. China and the US don't seem too far apart on internet policy these days.
Diamonds
Never Waste a Crisis
(untitled comment)
Re: Re: Re: Re: Vastly better way to prevent abuse is get rid of billionaires. Tax them out of existence. Easy to do, popular, guaranteed to work, and would have good effects every way.
(untitled comment)
(untitled comment)
(untitled comment)
What other segments in our society are overpriced due to entrenched interests? Guilds are an obvious answer: health care and law. And segments were the government is the largest provider: prisons, education, public education, policing.
To be the next Uber, a company is going to have to figure out how to reinvent a service that's been stifled by insiders and tradition. The next Uber will be even more controversial as it will taken on services that are considered sacred. Sacred but overpriced and underperforming.
Uber Helps the Poor, Now
The taxi companies worked closely with the Taxi commission to drive up rates. The city has for years added hospitality and hotel fees to taxi fares. These taxes were passed with the idea that only tourists would pay them. But everyone knew these taxes would mostly be paid by locals and there was nothing we could do about it. Because taxi riders have no political influence.
With Uber, while we now pay the local sales tax, does not not make us pay the fixed rates from the airport or the tourist taxes. They do this while undercutting the taxi monopoly rates. Anyone with a Smartphone can now get a much cheaper ride because Uber defeated rent seeking by a legacy industry.
Our local newspaper has taken to running sad stories about local taxi companies going out of business. Their trying to make us feel bad about how Uber is running these machine politics companies out of business. I cheer whenever I read these stories. Because they feed off of me for years. I want them all gone.
(untitled comment)
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by Will-INI.
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