Posted on 05/05/2014 8:56:33 AM PDT by Rusty0604
The first generation of the Internet did not go well for regulators. Despite early proposals to register websites and require government approval for business practices, the Internet in the U.S. developed largely without bureaucratic control and became an unstoppable engine of innovation and economic growth.
Regulators don't plan to make the same mistake with the next generation of innovations. Bureaucrats and prosecutors are moving in to undermine services that use the Internet in new ways to offer everything from getting a taxi to using self-driving cars to finding a place to stay.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman acknowledged that technology moves at a faster pace than laws can keep up. But instead of waiting to see if new rules are needed, he argues: "The only question is how long it will take for these cyber cowboys to realize that working with the sheriffs is both good business and the right thing to do."
Mr. Schneiderman has targeted Airbnb, an online service that lets users easily rent homes or apartments for short-term stays, giving travelers a new option.
Like Airbnb, mobile-phone app Uber creates a marketplace directly linking buyers and sellers—in its case, passengers and drivers—outside the ornate regulations of analog-era municipal taxi commissions. New York's Mr. Schneiderman objects to the company's practice of pricing more when demand is heavy. The alternative is severely restricted supply, as anyone knows who has tried to hail a cab in the rain.
Other examples include the Food and Drug Administration's scrutiny of 23andMe's marketing, which forced the company to stop offering health data from its at-home $99 genetics-analysis kit, and prohibitions against selling self-driving cars, which have left the U.S. in the dust behind less regulated Europe.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Let Eric Schneiderman try to regulate the next flash mob who wants to hold a necktie party in his honor.
In order for freedom, liberty and prosperity to prevail, the Eric Schneiderman’s of the world need to get the hell out of the way.
How far we have come. The default rule of the libs in power is the old “That which is not expressly permitted is forbidden.” Corollary: The lineup to offer bribes to government officials forms on the left and goes around the block.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.