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Editor: Why do we have to
read this in a blog instead of seeing it on the nightly news?
Townhall...
Fear Not, Buy an iPad
By Katie Kieffer
6/13/2011
If Steve Jobs’ name were Lindsay Lohan and he were looking for work
starring as the wife of John Gotti Jr. in a mobster film, confrontation
with the law would be the best thing that ever happened to Apple.
We all know Lohan can serve jail time and then spend weeks defending
herself in court on new charges only to walk away flashing an ankle
monitoring bracelet above her five-inch heels and … drum roll … land an
acting gig next to John Travolta. For LiLo, fighting the law appears to
be a remunerative gold star on her resume. For tech companies like
Apple, not so much.
On June 3, 2011 a University of Southern California study revealed that
almost 50 percent of Americans who connect to the internet worry that
“big business” is spying on them. Only 38 percent worry about the
government spying on them.
Anti-business government officials are frightening consumers with
ridiculous privacy claims against high-tech companies that specialize
in apps, off-site storage and social networking. Time Magazine reports:
“FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz has been pleased by how effective he’s been
at using the threat of legislation to scare companies into taking
action…”
Consequently, American tech firms are spending more time lobbying and
fighting legal battles and less time innovating, creating jobs and
generating profits for shareholders.
Do you read the morning news on a laptop as you spoon Cap’n Crunch into
your mouth? Do you send emails from a BlackBerry, iPhone or Android? Do
you run an online business? If so, read my five examples of tech
companies scrambling to defend their business models and reputations
from government attacks. Then, decide for yourself whether big
government is more trustworthy than big business.
1. Google relies primarily on ad revenue to support
the plethora of free services it provides consumers. Google reported
lower first quarter net income due to designating $500 million to cover
legal fees for a settlement it anticipates with the Justice Department
over the legality of “certain advertisers” on Google.
2. You may think Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is
quirky with his “personal challenge” diet to only eat the meat he
kills. But, you can’t deny that Zuckerberg is a job creator.
For over a year, Sen. Al Franken, Rep. Chuck Schumer and other liberal
politicians have been attacking Facebook’s privacy policies and trying
to control Facebook. Facebook spent $230,000 lobbying in Q1 alone and
just hired two more lobbyists.
If consumers are smart enough to cultivate their FarmVille plantations
multiple times a day, aren’t they capable of managing their Facebook
privacy settings? Should the government protect Americans from foreign
enemies or hold their hands as they upload photos to Facebook? What is
Facebook’s incentive to do business in the U.S. if it spends its
resources fighting anti-business micromanagers in Washington instead of
innovating and creating profits for shareholders?
3. Sen. Franken’s privacy subcommittee is pushing
Apple and Google to defend, explain and revise their privacy practices.
So, instead of innovating, Apple and Google are tied up in
Congressional hearings explaining to tech-illiterate politicians that
their devices request user permission before sharing location
information with third-party applications.
4. The U.S. Department of Labor is using business to
spy on business – launching its own smartphone applications so that
employees can “catch” their employers cheating them out of hours.
Why is it OK for the government to slander Apple’s technology and then
turn around and use Apple’s technology to pit employees against
employers – setting the stage for lawsuits and fostering animosity
toward business?
5. In April, the FCC bypassed Congress and introduced
“data roaming rules” that will cut into the profit and innovation
potential of firms like Verizon and AT&T. Verizon is suing the FCC.
Meanwhile, the FCC is stalling formal publication of the anti-business
net neutrality regulations it approved in December of 2010. The FCC
knows that delaying posting the rules to the Federal Register pressures
federal appeals courts to temporarily dismiss lawsuits from broadband
heavyweights like Verizon.
The FCC is pigeonholing businesses, forcing them to either accept rules
that will hurt their long-term growth or rack up ridiculous legal fees
challenging and re-challenging these rules.
Think twice before you believe the government’s anti-business privacy
sermons. Bizo CEO Russell Glass tells Time Magazine: “It’s the
monster-under-the-bed syndrome. People are afraid of what they really
don’t understand. They don’t understand that companies like us have no
idea who they are. And we really don’t give a s — -. I just want a
little information that will help me sell you an ad.”
Consider buying that iPad you’ve been admiring. Fearing new technology
will ultimately derail your success and happiness. Let Sen. Franken
take a time machine back to the Stone Age, but you don’t need to join
him.
Read it with links at Townhall
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