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FC: Geeks in government? A bad idea: Geeks should write code, not laws

------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Aug 2002 12:30:30 -0400 From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com> To: politech@politechbot.com Subject: FC: Geeks in government? A bad idea: Geeks should write code, not laws Send reply to: declan@well.com

http://news.com.com/2010-1071-949275.html?tag=politech

Geeks in government: A good idea? By Declan McCullagh August 12, 2002, 4:00 AM PT

WASHINGTON--There's a lot for a politically aware geek to be alarmed about nowadays.

Big companies are wielding copyright threats to stifle legitimate security research. Hollywood is itching to hack your PC. Your privacy is vanishing as fast as Al Gore's 2004 presidential hopes. And the merry band of technophobes in Congress is just getting started.

Too often, though, programmers, system administrators and other IT pros become understandably outraged by the latest attempts to restrict technology--and react by doing precisely the wrong thing. They set up irate Web sites, launch online petition drives and tell all their friends to write to their congressional representatives.

Here's the bitter truth: These efforts are mostly a waste of time. Sure, they may make you feel better, but they're not the way to win.

[...]

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