Bad new idea dept.: privacy takedowns

Jim Harper at Cato at Liberty says a proposed “Cyber Privacy Act” introduced by Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) would “regulate every Internet site that has a comment section. He thinks it’s going to protect privacy, but he’s sorely mistaken. Its passage would undermine privacy and limit free speech.”

5 Comments

  • Why is it that Republicans can be just as bad as the Democrats in this manner?

  • Because they are politicians first!

  • Richard……BINGO!!!

  • The Republicans are just as bad as the Democrats on almost every issue because, like the Democrats, they are thoroughgoing statists. They, just like the Democrats, believe in the power of government to cure every ill that afflicts society. And like the Democrats, the distrust individual initiative and individual liberty. The only substantial difference between the two parties is on where they think government should be expanding their powers, and on which particular aspects of individual liberty they distrust and want to abolish.

  • He may also be a bit of a RINO (interesting, isn’t it, that there are no “DINOs”?).

    Here’s a couple of sites reviewing his voting record, so you can judge for yourself:

    http://www.themiddleclass.org/legislator/thaddeus-mccotter-233?gclid=COf5mJHepKECFUnW5wodGiPPwQ

    http://www.ontheissues.org/MI/Thad_McCotter.htm

    Still, he’s been fairly good in his votes as to protecting the rights of internet users and to protect free speech. He voted for facilitating nationwide 2-1-1 phone line for human services, (Jan 2007) , for a permanent ban on state & local taxation of Internet access, (Oct 2007) , and to prohibit the return of the Fairness Doctrine, (Jan 2009).

    This Bill appears inconsistent with his prior positions. It is entirely possible that he doesn’t understand what was drafted (likely by a lobbyist) and should be contacted about what the real effects of this Bill would be.