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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.




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