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 |  Subject: Techno-Libertarianism: Building The Case For Separation Of Technology And State  Sat Jul 19, 2014 12:43 am | |
| Can we keep government’s hands off the technology frontier?
I like to think it makes sense that libertarianism—or classical liberal ideas–would resonate in places like Silicon Valley; that techies could and should make a powerful, united case for “Separation of Technology and State.”
Alas, many are capital-D Democrats.
Of course, libertarians tend to see Democrats vs. Republicans as a battle between the leopards and the ocelots: they’re both cats with spots.
Nonetheless, libertarians and classical liberals appear to be finding a foothold in Silicon Valley.
I remember attending conservative/libertarian Lead21 events in the Valley years back. The newest effort is the Lincoln Labs ReBoot conference (I’ll attend).
With Hackathons, policy panels and emphasis on heavy data and outreach to liberty-minded individuals, they’re trying to get the right’s social and political data savvy on par with the outreach super-engine the left enjoys.
Reboot Keynoter Sen. Rand Paul sees massive potential in the heavily left-wing region. He’s cemented attraction to some liberals with his 13 hour talking filibuster against drones and his Berkeley critiques of National Security Agency power drunkenness.
Political predation, like that of grabby taxi commissions and politicians attempting to eliminate Uber and Lyft, has also had an impact, offending liberals and conservatives alike nationwide.
With thousands of rules and regulations with costs approaching $2 trillion annually, the regulatory burden exceeds the burden of taxes and spending in my view.
In “The Libertarian Vision for High Technology,” Adam Thierer and I argued for a hands-off approach to the Internet and technology.
And indeed, the Internet did enjoy a reputation as a freewheeling realm. But regulatory impulses surged from the start.
Attempts past and present to regulate have included:
Porn
Library filtering
Spam
Marketing to kids
Online gambling
Privacy
“Cybersecurity” (and even a kill-switch for the Net)
Net neutrality (instead of agency neutrality)
Ballooning surveillance from Carnivore to the USA Patriot Act to Total Information Awareness to National Security Agency sponging
Various initiatives for government to fund basic research, to direct private infrastructure decisions
And of course antitrust regulatory activism remains very strong. Rivals and regulators seem to think everyone must share wires, code, desktop space or infrastructure with competitors. Indeed the real lesson of the Microsoft case was that government regards even corporate breakup as valid, thus no intervention is off limits.
It isn’t the libertarian position that things don’t need “regulating” of course; rather what institutions are best suited for the job; it isn’t automatically government compulsion. It might be competition; it might be a kid’s parents.
I never meant to be all weepy and and utopian about the Net, but I was. I felt it represented a demonstration project for spontaneous order, a chance to show that minimal regulation does work. I’ve been disappointed in politicians of both parties.
More: http://www.forbes.com/sites/waynecrews/2014/07/17/techno-libertarianism-building-the-case-for-separation-of-technology-and-state/ |
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