Slashdot Mirror
Web Giants Form US Internet Lobby Group
judgecorp writes "Google, Facebook, eBay and Amazon have apparently set up the Internet Association to lobby the US government on issues relating to online business. From the article: 'The Internet Association, which will open its doors in September, will act as a unified voice for major Internet companies, said President Michael Beckerman, a former adviser to the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee.'"
Put simply, there are too few "voices of conscience" in that list for my comfort.
"Lets figure out how we can keep people communicating insecurely without privacy, while exploiting their ignorance and hunger for low-quality goods"
Ideally, this leads to a future with virtual cars that no longer consume gas. We just probably lack the proper MMORPG to represent life, but I am sure we can do wonders with some better government support. We just need to grease the wheels with more campaign contributions.
I think it's a sad reflection on our political system that we need to do this.
The next question is will it be it be dishonest enough to grease the right palms and have some real influence?
But it's good that such a large industry now has a voice there.
N.B. this user is far too lazy to write a witty and intelligent sig.
I remember this being something that came up during the fight over SOPA: Namely, that while the entertainment industry is used to lobbying the government, the tech industry was fractured and didn't see lobbying as a high priority, so the success Hollywood had at railroading some of those crazy ideas just blindsided them. (Stacked hearings, deliberately ignoring experts, etc.) It became clear that something would have to level the field, and since we know the RIAA, MPAA and friends aren't going to back off on their lobbying (and we know the government isn't going to stop listening to lobbyists), the solution is a tech lobby.
Great. It's good to see these underrepresented citizens with limited economic power finally have a voice in Washington.
Got to be In it to win it... Into corruption I mean, to win laws favourable to your industry. Ick, how "democracy" has degenerated...
How about outlawing Software Patents? It costs them more than it costs me, and it isn't even a barrier to entry.
Google is fine, they've only done a few things to upset me (privacy problems aside).
Amazon is... tolerable. They do some questionable things now and then, but overall they're all right.
Facebook is bad in that while they seem as intent on invading your privacy as much as Google, they contribute little back, unlike Google.
eBay, or rather PayPal, is flat out evil for reasons better explained in (of all places) an Encyclopedia Dramatica article (warning: potentially NSFW). I will never, ever do business with them and I urge others to follow suit.
In the US 'x' gets corrupted by corporate interest. For 'x' of course
politics came first -- the rest is a cinch.
Silicon Valley makes more money than Hollywood, it's time they made their voices heard.
Now I'm sure it's not all going to be good stuff for intance Facebook and Google writing a law for mandatory "internet ID" using their services of course. That would be bad.
But putting an end to the shenanigans of horrible people like Chris Dodd may be worth it.
Either way, Hollywood needs to step aside and make way for Silicon Valley.
If laws are bought by the lobbiest with the most cash, why not start kickstarter campaigns for various sensible laws and see if we can outbid the corporations. Some laws are bought with surprisingly desultory amounts of cash. Not that's it's a particularly important law, but as an example i bet if you started a kickstarter to lobby for the legalisation of cannabis, you'd get millions. And for the abolition of the TSA.
(1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
This will not end well.
I can think of so many ways this will turn out badly for me the tech user.
And only one or two ways things could turn out that might be considered 'good'. But that's only if.... i don't mind bowing to the power of a corporation to save me from the power of a goverment.
At least the corporation only wants your money. All of it.
This "association" is a gang of monopolists who grudgingly admit they can't eliminate each other as competition, so they join together to avoid competing. In other words, a cartel. That plans to enforce their cartel with government power.
Why not? They're basically 21st Century phone companies. The telco cartel worked out so well in the 20th Century that it hauled in many hundreds of $BILLIONS, and even wiretapped every American for years with impunity - forging the basis of power for this new generation cartel.
--
make install -not war
I hope someone with an account on sourcewatch.org adds this entry.
If you're a good writer with some time.. this would be a good thing to do.
(I would, but I'm afraid I wouldn't do it justice)
I mean, I like Google and all, but I can't say I trust them or Facebook to "make" internet policy...
Alright, the internet's clearly circling the drain.
Let's all start a new internet - call it something like interweb, innernet... I don't care. Let's just do it.
How bout it, Science?
They were considered (and are) treason for the politicians, and could (and should) land both the "lobbyist" and the politician in jail for 10+ years. And not the nice one.
(No idea if those times ever existed in the USA though. But here they did.)
Now everyone has a "lobby". Everyone except for US, the people.
RANT
Lobbyists are one of the major problems with the U.S. government, they serve no legitimate function and are nothing but vectors of corruption. Corporate apologists will argue that corporations need representation too but they would be lying to you. Corporations are made up of people, and each person (that is a citizen) has one vote, the same as everyone else. Corporations, through lobbyists, should not be allowed to buy specialty legislation (like the extension to copyright that was purchased by Disney). All legislation that comes out of Washington should support the public good, not a few of the rich and powerful.
This shows a really sad state of affairs for the U.S. government. The fact that these companies feel it is worth their time and money to lobby the U.S. government to get what they need shows:
1. That they no longer believe that they can control their own corporate destiny sufficiently without the government mandating new laws to their liking
2. That it's more efficient for them to lobby the government to get what they want than to risk doing things without the government
3. That the U.S. government has far too much authority and perceived "value" that these companies want a piece of
My solution is simple: reduce the size and scope of the government and these companies will no longer feel like they have anything to gain from lobbying the government.
-> Sometimes, you just gotta break free from the shackles of proprietary code.
At 26, I'm the first generation to grow up with a home computer, a computer lab at school, to learn using video games, and to learn programming as I grew up. I've always been part of the hip, young, generation and Google, Facebook, eBay, Amazon are the companies of my generation. Most were started (and most are manned) by my peers and I can remember the first time I heard about all of them. Now they are forming a Lobby, and it's only a few short years until these companies are the entrenched establishment and some young kids feel disenfranchised to rebel against their corporate and government and internet Big Brothers.
When do I get to start saying "Get off my lawn?"
For...who exactly? /sarcasm
So we've got an ad company, a company that steals and sells personal data, a dwindling marketplace, and a growing marketplace.
Yes, these four companies are totally represent the internet well...
What do I know, I'm just an idiot, right?
anyone else feel we're headed closer and closer to the idea of corporate enclaves?
Now when some guy in a dark suit says "I'm from the Internet" it will actually mean something.
And he'll be a lawyer.
you are the joke ! a joke almost as laughable as your godhero ron paul's pathetic presidential campaign . hows that going, btw lol ?
who is roman mir ?
just a whiny little nazi bitch, thats who !
If you can't beat them ... arrange to have them beaten.
This signature is false.
The suit looks like Buzz Lightyear. Im not the first to notice this, just the first to post it here.
There is absolutely no possibility that this is going to benefit us peons in any way.
Oh joy. The Internet Chamber of Commerce.
What could possibly go wrong?