[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Clinton, privacy, free speech
Here is what I have to add to what James said about the Clinton speech,
privacy, free speech, free enterprise, and all that.
If I buy a widget from widgets.com, they do or do not have a right to tell
the world that Peter Buch has a new widget, depending on the contract. If I
do not want the world to know that I have a new widget, I will seek out a
widget from a circumspect widgeteer or widgeteuse. If this is not
important, then I won't require it in the contract. A free market will
reward widgeteers who guarantee privacy if this is what consumers want.
The problem is that the free market doesn't work unless the public has some
clue as to what the choices and the repercussions are. Right now, the
e-commerce guys are way ahead of the consumers in awareness and in
technology. The consumer needs to understand his needs, then demand
programs that will represent his needs (applause). We are not going to make
individual negotiations with every prospective vendor - we need technology
to make it easy. We want to draw a line somewhere, then filter out
everything that doesn't meet our standards. We have nothing even remotely
like this in place now, nor any proposals that I know of. Basically, we
need pretty simple agents, and a negiotiating platform.
I think the marketplace will probably take care of this to some degree.
First people have to become aware of the problem, then become aware there is
a solution. If standards can be agreed upon, then the government only needs
to take action against misrepresentation - vendors must say what they are
going to do, and do what they say they are going to do. For the most part,
they will.
Personally, I am not against gubmint intervention, but I'd like the
situation to play out technically, and mature a little in the marketplace
before we decide whether and where a regulatory presence is called for.
________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com