Posted by
Disgruntled in NY on Wednesday, October 07, 2009 9:54:17 AM
Way back at the end of September, L. Gordon Crovitz in the WSJ wrote about a new book, called Three Felonies a Day. He said that the author:
Boston civil-liberties lawyer Harvey Silverglate calls his new book "Three Felonies a Day," referring to the number of crimes he estimates the average American now unwittingly commits because of vague laws. New technology adds its own complexity, making innocent activity potentially criminal.
Now, we hear that the FTC is proposing rules that would require bloggers who post reviews to disclose product endorsements. Ann Althouse, hits it right on the head:
The most absurd part of it is the way the FTC is trying to make it okay by assuring us that they will be selective in deciding which writers on the internet to pursue. That is, they've deliberately made a grotesquely overbroad rule, enough to sweep so many of us into technical violations, but we're supposed to feel soothed by the knowledge that government agents will decide who among us gets fined. No, no, no. Overbreath itself is a problem. And so is selective enforcement.