Cyberlaw Skeptics

from the yes,-but... dept

I saw this article yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, but didn't post it due to the whole "you must pay" thing to access WSJ articles. Now, it's been posted for free at MSNBC, so here it is. It's about "legal experts" who don't think the internet deserves any special attention for laws. Their argument is basically that existing laws can cover the internet. They also suggest that people who do want special internet laws are elitist technocrats who want laws that change things in their favor. I have a lot of thoughts on this, not all of which I'll be able to cram into this space. In general, though, I think the problem isn't so much the laws - but that both judges and lawmakers simply don't understand enough about the technology to understand what it is they're deciding on or legistlating. That's dangerous. So, I'm neither for nor against "internet laws" - but I am against silly and dangerous laws and judicial rulings that don't understand what they're doing.

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