Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford university law professor, claims that the US government has prepared a type of Patriot Act that is in place and ready for Congress should a major security event occur, a 9-11 type event. And just like the Patriot Act contains all sorts of new restrictions, there is concern that this I-Patriot Act will have many restrictions and laws that may limit the way the Internet is used…
…Lessig: “I had dinner once with Richard Clark at the table and I said ‘is there an equivalent to the Patriot Act — an iPatriot Act — just sitting waiting for some substantial event just waiting for them to come have the excuse for radically changing the way the Internet works?’ And he said, ‘Of course there is’ — and I swear this is what he said, and quote — ‘and Vint Cerf is not going to like it very much.'”
End of quote.
Surprise, surprise. Here’s a brief video clip in which Lessig talks about this. Funny how these things turn up. Just yesterday, I posted a story of an Intel lawyer talking about such an event. Time to expect it. It’s how they move their game forward on sticky issues.
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