Higher Education Fears Wiretapping Law

alphadogg writes "Institutions of higher education are up in arms over an FCC ruling on wiretapping they say could cost them billions of dollars in upgrades, expose their networks to more attacks, and jeopardize rights to privacy and freedom of speech. "

Comments

Looking on the bright side...

[Rick.C]

This will require non-IT college students to learn about strong encrytion methods and the importance of using them, a lesson that will help them later on in life. It might even prompt some whiz-kids to come up with something even the NSA can't break.

Re:Civil liberties? Pfft.

[HTL2001]

Problem is, now everyone is loosing something they love: their freedom and their privacy

Re:Concerns are interesting...

[OctoberSky]

While I agree with you for the most part (and entirely as a "freedom loving hippie") I have to point out some things.

People, it seems, don't care about their freedom as much as they care about thier bank accounts. The threat of a possible Government operation taking place on campus doesn't scare too many people, but the threat of another $500 going towards the already high tuition costs does scare them.
Most people don't understand that they are losing their liberties, liberties protected by the Constitution. These people feel that the government is going after Terrorist and Bad People and would never infringe upon the rights on Ma and Pa America. They don't care wheter or not you can burn a flag or say Bush is a complete cunt. They don't care if Apu Nahasapeemapetilon gets shipped to some camp in Cuba and no one ever knows. They don't care because they don't think it matters to Ma and Pa America.

But,these people do care about that $500 that could go to something else, something more important than freedom, something special like thier SUVs gas bill. And the worst part..... these people Vote!

The Universities are smart in going about this as it costing too much. Seven Billion dollars (thats $7,000,000,000) is nothing to laugh at. They realize people will get pissed off at College costing more. The Universities realize they will get more people mad about this by playing the Money Card then they probably ever could by playing the Freedom Card.

I may be completely off base, but my years of doing the budget for my office tell me one thing... money talks.

Re:Why do colleges

[IAmTheDave]

If it isn't sarcasm, what in the hell are you talking about mang?

A parody of the current administration I can only assume...

That said, (some) colleges are actually becoming quite notorious for having plenty of "laws" on campus that abridge or ammend what many consider to be their inalienable freedom of speech. Sure, this goes back to the argument of Congress shall make no law, not "college campuses" or the like, but still...

Check out FIRE for an all-you-can-eat look at how colleges are indeed becoming politically correct havens of modified free-speech rules, inequity in education based on race, class, and sex, and the like.