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.
This is from Fortune Brainstorm conference "2018: Life on the Net." It was moderated by Quincy Smith, CEO of CBS Interactive. On the podium was Lawrence Lessig, professor of Law at Stanford Law School, Joichi Ito, CEO of Creative Commons and Chairman of Six Apart Japan, and Philip Rosedale, founder and chairman of Linden Lab, (Second Life.)
The full video has been featured on Boing Boing. Lawrence Lessig on the coming "i-Patriot Act" - Boing Boing
I pulled out a three minute extract from the full video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on4DPpN7GwQ
This is the relevant section where Mr Lessig talks about having dinner with Richard Clark, the government Counter terrorism Czar.
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.'"
Transcript courtesy of Boing Boing.
The full video is here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4631871144083884704&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4631871144083884704&hl=en
