Re:Facebook Tries to Make Violations of Terms of Use Into Cr...
by DanielBMarkham on Wednesday May 05, 2010 @07:45AM
(#1320869)
I agree, grellas, and although I use the word "war" with some concern, in this case I believe this is truly an economic and personal property conflict which is already politically intense and threatens to continue escalating.
The theory is this: are computers, programs, and data pieces of external property that can be manipulated in a traditional manner by the courts? Or are they extensions of the individual's mind? I think the law views it as the former, but I think the citizenry is more and more viewing it as the latter. And no amount of precedence or legal force is going to change that. Sometimes the law IS an ass. You can have all the Facebook Dred Scott cases you want, and it's only going to make matters worse.
I have been standing by mostly idle as this developed, but I more and more feel compelled to act -- protest, write letters, petition, sue, etc. That's unusual for me, as I am not an activist by any means.
The theory is this: are computers, programs, and data pieces of external property that can be manipulated in a traditional manner by the courts? Or are they extensions of the individual's mind? I think the law views it as the former, but I think the citizenry is more and more viewing it as the latter. And no amount of precedence or legal force is going to change that. Sometimes the law IS an ass. You can have all the Facebook Dred Scott cases you want, and it's only going to make matters worse.
I have been standing by mostly idle as this developed, but I more and more feel compelled to act -- protest, write letters, petition, sue, etc. That's unusual for me, as I am not an activist by any means.