[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>You're right, it's not a societal problem. That's why government shouldn't
>(and very probably, won't) get involved...
>
>it's an ECONOMIC problem.. for about the 400th time, there are "other"
>forces in this universe than just code and law...
[snip]
>privacy (CFIP and control over personal information) solves many of these
>economic problems, for both companies and consumers.. what I'm saying is
>that if the technology to enable this existed, the free markets would
>organize around by themselves anyway, w/o government involvement--
>
>this is, I think, what you libertarians want anyway, no? laissez-faire??
You have argued repeatedly that corporations should not keep secret
databases. And that you should be allowed to control the content, use and
distribution of the information concerning you in those databases. But
then you claim that you do not mean that law should prevent it. Instead,
some magical technology along with simple economics will obviate the need
for government involvement.
That's bullshit. If there is no legal penalty for maintaining such
databases (note: I am not advocating there should be), there is NO economic
incentive to tell you about it and allow you to exercise control over the
personal information about yourself it may contain. And there are obvious
economic *disincentives* to providing you such control (the cost of managing
this process if nothing else).
Your argument simply doesn't hold water. There are only two ways to handle
this problem (if indeed it should be characterized as a problem"). First,
regulate by law the creation and use of such databases. This is the
"European solution" and, as a form of property theft, is something that
should be repugnant to all cypherpunks.
Second, build technologies, laws and social habits that permit people to
limit the distribution of their personal information ("protect their
privacy") in the first place. This is the cypherpunks (and libertarian and
laissez-faire) way. Remove the law as a barrier to protecting personal
privacy, and the market will provide incentives for corporations to do
business without requiring the kind of personal information that we all
would prefer others not to have.
This is why we need cash (and e-cash). Corporations will almost always
agree to forgo information about you if it might lose them a sale. And, in
the absence of law as an obstacle, the market will, over time, get rid of
those corporations that don't work this way.
No; controlling the creation, use and distribution of private databases is
wrong, and worse, doomed to failure. Instead, give individuals who care
about the use of their personal information the means and the right to
prevent it from entering those databases.
- GH
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