Do we need the government to protect us on the internet?

The WSJ ran a piece earlier in the week attacking the repeal of an incoming regulation that was designed to protect the privacy of individuals from corporate overreach.

From the WSJ:

“What if your telecom company tracked the websites you visit, the apps you use, the TV shows you watch, the stores you shop at and the restaurants you eat at, and then sold that information to advertisers?

In theory, it’s possible, given the stance Washington is taking on online privacy.”

Sounds pretty Orwellian.

Right off the bat one should be skeptical about this article. In theory in might be possible for telecom companies to track everything you do. They don’t sound to sure of themselves.

They are also saying that because of this new regime in Washington and the stance they’r taking, online privacy is at risk.

News flash! The feds are currently collecting everyones information –  i.e. the websites you visit, the apps you use, the TV shows you watch, the stores you shop at and the restaurants you eat at – via open ended general warrants issued by secret courts to 24/7/365 access to every telecom company in the country, warrants that violate the 4th amendment word for word.

And this one isn’t a theory. It is an Orwellian reality.

The article goes on to say that if this law had went into affect

The question is not whether we want privacy from coporations and advertisers when browsing the internet but how do we get it and at what costs. Should we have individuals responsible for themselves and their privacy interacting with different companies voluntarily or do we want