As one who deals with this problem professionally on a daily basis, I assure you that legislation is critically needed. Insecure devices place more than their owners at risk. They become pawns in criminal enterprises. They are used to undermine the Internet. Device manufacturers continue to ignore this. Continued economic growth, at the point, will require legislation. As usual, California first.
As a person that volunteered with OTA on one IP related project, I would like to acknowledge that OTA was the most independent and transparent government agency I have ever been exposed to (and there are many at federal and state levels) which led to their being targeted and destroyed by Newt Gingrich. If anything describes his approach to government, it is this. Beware.
Your entry fails to discuss the major impact of the lack of gov't intervention to date. The US is now more than a decade behind the rest of the world, and falling behind faster very year. Walt refers to the US as a laughingstock - that minimizes the issue. We are losing long term competitive advantage to other countries world wide. Open, free market principles are great in a true free market. But as soon as one government distorts the system any government that fails to compensate falls behind.
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Most of you are seriously underestimating this problem
As one who deals with this problem professionally on a daily basis, I assure you that legislation is critically needed. Insecure devices place more than their owners at risk. They become pawns in criminal enterprises. They are used to undermine the Internet. Device manufacturers continue to ignore this. Continued economic growth, at the point, will require legislation. As usual, California first.
OTA and Newt
As a person that volunteered with OTA on one IP related project, I would like to acknowledge that OTA was the most independent and transparent government agency I have ever been exposed to (and there are many at federal and state levels) which led to their being targeted and destroyed by Newt Gingrich. If anything describes his approach to government, it is this. Beware.
the impact of no government intervention
Your entry fails to discuss the major impact of the lack of gov't intervention to date. The US is now more than a decade behind the rest of the world, and falling behind faster very year. Walt refers to the US as a laughingstock - that minimizes the issue. We are losing long term competitive advantage to other countries world wide. Open, free market principles are great in a true free market. But as soon as one government distorts the system any government that fails to compensate falls behind.