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> "Global companies should be able to share information globally." This is an interesting point, and to me it seems to be pitting global companies against indi

> "Global companies should be able to share information globally." This is an interesting point, and to me it seems to be pitting global companies against individual countries. This makes me feel uneasy because I feel there's a better chance my government is looking out for my best interests than many global companies are. Am I just being paranoid and naive?

mmaunder 11y ago
That's a really big debate: small vs big government, Keynesian vs Hayekian economics, public vs private sector and so on. I'd say from my side that government and private sector have a role in protecting you. Government tends to excel at things like air traffic control and lighthouses where there isn't much scope for competition and where competition may harm. Private sector tends to do things more efficiently when competition is feasible. So both have a role and the role of private sector is an important one. If we pass laws that restrict innovation, the risk is that things that would normally be in private sector will become government roles and won't be done as efficiently or as effectively as they could be. I'd say at the rate we're seeing attacks escalate, providing the most effective protection we can in infospace is very important. I'm completely ignoring issues like investment opportunities, job creation and so on because I think the core problem we're all trying to solve is to protect individuals and businesses. We need to get that right first and move from there.
- LunaSea 11y ago
  I'm sorry but I don't see how a private company "protects" you in any way.
  - lmm 11y ago
    It doesn't have to be about protection. Just about serving your interests. When my country privatized the phone system, the time to get a phone line installed dropped from 3 months to 5 days (because suddenly they were motivated to get it installed as soon as possible so they could start making money).
  - ommunist 11y ago
    Neither does any state. I am afraid, security is individual responsibility these days.
ionised 11y ago
> I feel there's a better chance my government is looking out for my best interests than many global companies are I'd go a step further on the cynicism scale and say that neither global companies nor the government are looking out for my interests.

mmaunder 11y ago

That's a really big debate: small vs big government, Keynesian vs Hayekian economics, public vs private sector and so on. I'd say from my side that government and private sector have a role in protecting you. Government tends to excel at things like air traffic control and lighthouses where there isn't much scope for competition and where competition may harm. Private sector tends to do things more efficiently when competition is feasible. So both have a role and the role of private sector is an important one. If we pass laws that restrict innovation, the risk is that things that would normally be in private sector will become government roles and won't be done as efficiently or as effectively as they could be. I'd say at the rate we're seeing attacks escalate, providing the most effective protection we can in infospace is very important. I'm completely ignoring issues like investment opportunities, job creation and so on because I think the core problem we're all trying to solve is to protect individuals and businesses. We need to get that right first and move from there.

LunaSea 11y ago
I'm sorry but I don't see how a private company "protects" you in any way.
- lmm 11y ago
  It doesn't have to be about protection. Just about serving your interests. When my country privatized the phone system, the time to get a phone line installed dropped from 3 months to 5 days (because suddenly they were motivated to get it installed as soon as possible so they could start making money).
- ommunist 11y ago
  Neither does any state. I am afraid, security is individual responsibility these days.

ionised 11y ago

> I feel there's a better chance my government is looking out for my best interests than many global companies are I'd go a step further on the cynicism scale and say that neither global companies nor the government are looking out for my interests.