16 votes

Ajit Pai does ISPs’ bidding, pushes for tighter rules on Google and Facebook

14 comments

  1. [12]
    sublime_aenima
    Link
    It's appalling that someone as blatantly corrupt as this is allowed to chair any office. It would be nice if Mueller and his team could focus on people like this once they are done with the White...

    Last week, telco lobby group USTelecom accidentally emailed internal documents containing draft talking points to Techdirt founder Mike Masnick. As Masnick detailed in a thorough summary and analysis, USTelecom claims that ISPs "have embraced strong consumer privacy policies" but that websites pose a grave privacy threat to consumers and should therefore face new regulations. USTelecom also argued that "net neutrality" rules should apply to the practices of websites, not just to ISPs.

    Like clockwork, Pai advanced these broadband lobby talking points Tuesday in a blog post on Medium titled, "What I Hope to Learn from the Tech Giants."

    It's appalling that someone as blatantly corrupt as this is allowed to chair any office. It would be nice if Mueller and his team could focus on people like this once they are done with the White House.

    8 votes
    1. [11]
      demifiend
      Link Parent
      As much as I agree with you and think that Ajit Pai should be in jail awaiting trial, I have zero sympathy whatsoever for Google and Facebook. Facebook should have its corporate charter revoked...

      As much as I agree with you and think that Ajit Pai should be in jail awaiting trial, I have zero sympathy whatsoever for Google and Facebook. Facebook should have its corporate charter revoked for its repeated privacy violations, and Google should get their charter yanked because their adtech-based business model is pretty much the reason the modern web sucks. Anything Pai might do to inconvenience Google or Facebook is a slap on the wrist compared to what I would do.

      12 votes
      1. [10]
        nicholas
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        In jail for having opinions that differ from your own?

        In jail for having opinions that differ from your own?

        2 votes
        1. [9]
          demifiend
          Link Parent
          <sarcasm>Sure, why not? You can be his cellmate, if that's what you really think I want.</sarcasm>

          <sarcasm>Sure, why not? You can be his cellmate, if that's what you really think I want.</sarcasm>

          2 votes
          1. [8]
            nicholas
            Link Parent
            I was asking a serious question.

            I was asking a serious question.

            3 votes
            1. [7]
              demifiend
              Link Parent
              Here's a serious answer for you: I think Ajit Pai lied to Congress about the FCC's comment system getting hacked, and I think he's misusing his position for the benefit of his former employers. He...

              Here's a serious answer for you: I think Ajit Pai lied to Congress about the FCC's comment system getting hacked, and I think he's misusing his position for the benefit of his former employers. He should be in jail awaiting trial on both of these offenses.

              9 votes
              1. [6]
                nicholas
                Link Parent
                Do you have proof of any of these alleged offenses?

                Do you have proof of any of these alleged offenses?

                1 vote
                1. [4]
                  teaearlgraycold
                  Link Parent
                  https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/06/fcc-admits-it-was-never-actually-hacked/ Ajit Pai admits that the FCC lied about the system getting hacked. Blaming the Obama administration is laughable. As for...

                  Ajit Pai blamed the former chief information officer and the Obama administration for providing “inaccurate information about this incident to me, my office, Congress, and the American people.”

                  https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/06/fcc-admits-it-was-never-actually-hacked/

                  Ajit Pai admits that the FCC lied about the system getting hacked. Blaming the Obama administration is laughable.

                  As for the second allegation, it would make sense but I don't believe there's any hard proof.

                  6 votes
                  1. spit-evil-olive-tips
                    Link Parent
                    This is why the standard, up until recently, has been that the appearance of corruption is just as bad as actual corruption. This is one of the rare things that right-leaning and left-leaning...

                    As for the second allegation, it would make sense but I don't believe there's any hard proof.

                    This is why the standard, up until recently, has been that the appearance of corruption is just as bad as actual corruption. This is one of the rare things that right-leaning and left-leaning critics agree on.

                    The idea being, if it looks like someone is corrupt and getting away with it, even if they're squeaky clean, it still undermines trust in the system.

                    6 votes
                  2. [2]
                    nicholas
                    Link Parent
                    So he did not, in fact, lie in front of congress or commit any crime.

                    So he did not, in fact, lie in front of congress or commit any crime.

                    1 vote
                    1. teaearlgraycold
                      Link Parent
                      At best you could say that it's uncertain. Given the absurdity of his current version of the truth I would say that he did, in fact, lie in front of congress and commit a crime.

                      At best you could say that it's uncertain. Given the absurdity of his current version of the truth I would say that he did, in fact, lie in front of congress and commit a crime.

                      1 vote
                2. demifiend
                  Link Parent
                  Do I look like a Federal prosecutor?

                  Do I look like a Federal prosecutor?

                  1 vote
  2. [2]
    Exalt
    Link
    Yeah, while I agree that something needs to be done about the web giants, it's hard to take the guy seriously when he bends over for ISPs which have more power.

    Yeah, while I agree that something needs to be done about the web giants, it's hard to take the guy seriously when he bends over for ISPs which have more power.

    3 votes
    1. demifiend
      Link Parent
      True, but he's pretty much the face of regulatory capture. He's a former telco lawyer who now regulates the industry for which he was once an advocate. He's a wolf getting a job as a sheepdog.

      True, but he's pretty much the face of regulatory capture. He's a former telco lawyer who now regulates the industry for which he was once an advocate. He's a wolf getting a job as a sheepdog.

      5 votes