Am 10.05.2012 05:22, schrieb Pavol Luptak:
Consider censorship, data retention laws - from the business point of view it does not make sense - on a free market censorship is definitely not a competitive advantage, nobody voluntarily will pay for censored Internet, also data retention is usually too expensive in contrast with fact that most ISPs want to offer as cheap as possible services because it is another competitive advantage.
Behind EU data retention was largely the content industry. AT&T (without genuine business in Europe) lobbied heavily in Brussels. Formal pretext was the Madrid bombing. There are also more cynical arguments like saving the children.
So personally I think our freedom is primarily threatened by our governments, not corporations (they just care about their business and their customers and restrictions on freedom are simply not good for their business, because people would prefer their competitors).
Some believe the "Levithan" threatenes individual freedom, others rely on him to protect personal freedom. EU-Commissioner Reding's ambitious data protection package is a perfect test case for your teaching.
In ordoliberal terms the purpose of a strong state is to make a genuine market happen, to enforce competition. Dominant companies have no genuine interest in competition in a market system because it eats their profits away.
Think of a small and weak state which entirely depends on the banking industry or oil or fisheries. It is a matter of balance and gravity. If you complain about Paypal's services in Europa you'd wonder why Luxembourg has not the balls to enforce basic customer service standards. If you pay taxes wonder why IT companies formally base their EMEA operations in Ireland.
Anyway, we have the same goal - freedom! :-)
Which shows the intellectual immaturity of Moglen's rhetorics. Freedom is an empty phrase.
Best, André _______________________________________________ liberationtech mailing list [email protected] Should you need to change your subscription options, please go to: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech If you would like to receive a daily digest, click "yes" (once you click above) next to "would you like to receive list mail batched in a daily digest?" You will need the user name and password you receive from the list moderator in monthly reminders. You may ask for a reminder here: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech Should you need immediate assistance, please contact the list moderator. Please don't forget to follow us on http://twitter.com/#!/Liberationtech
