Two things that died this week
Today: A quagmire of a privacy debate, canoe-making, and the death of the filibuster.
Good morning, Kyle here.
If you believe every alarmist headline, you might believe that both internet privacy and the filibuster have died in the past week. One of those is probably true, the other one is a little more complicated than that. Today we’ve got three quick things to give you a fresh perspective. ONE tackles the questions around the GOP decision to repeal an Obama regulation regarding ISPs selling customer data without permission. TWO is literally one of the most captivating videos I’ve watched in a long time. THREE revisits one of our early issues on the Supreme Court in light of yesterday’s action in the Senate.
Okay, I’ll get out of your way.
ONE: Public internet, private data, partisan divide
By Dustin Cole
You may have recently seen your Facebook trending news telling you how Republicans sold out your privacy to Internet Service Providers (ISPs)…you know, on the right just above the ads for the shoes you were browsing yesterday on Amazon. A quick probe of this topic on Google, and you’ll find that the issue has become surprisingly partisan, and opinions come down on both sides.
In 2015, the FCC classified the internet as a public utility. This comes from a concept commonly called “net neutrality” — the belief that internet access is so critical to society that it deserves protection and regulation as a public interest. That “regulation” part is where things get sticky. The net neutrality debate started a war between Silicon Valley, which creates the content you consume online, and the ISPs which deliver it to you. And because the internet is now a public utility, the free market doesn’t get to pick the winner…enter the partisan divide.
Fast forward to 2016: the FCC issued a rule saying that ISPs can’t profit from data about how you use the internet, unless you opt in and say they can. Seems like a no-brainer, except that the same rule didn’t apply to website companies, and that’s where the net neutrality war rages on.
Last week, the GOP overturned the Obama-era regulation before it went into effect because, well, it was a regulation. Republicans now champion a more level playing field for both websites and providers in what they can do with your data. So today, conservatives find themselves choosing between their own priorities of limiting government interference and protecting personal privacy. As they saw it, the rule didn’t really protect privacy; it just picked winners and losers among private companies.
So now what? Are Verizon and Comcast going to start running amok with your secret late night browsing habits? Probably not, at least not so much anymore, since they’re now in the spotlight for it; besides, Facebook and Amazon already are. I think we can all agree that no matter our political leaning, we want some degree of privacy online. Where politics divides us is in the role that government should play. There’s plenty more to discuss about consumer choice and public interest and why the government should protect certain things, and why the government is bad at most things it tries to do, and personal responsibility for one’s own interests.
With the FCC rule struck down, the question now isn’t which companies should and shouldn’t be able to sell your information — it’s what you yourself should do to protect it. So if you’re enraged at the idea of AT&T telling marketers how much time you spend shopping online for toilet paper, make sure you get mad at Amazon, too. In the meantime, be conscientious about how you expose your own data online, and take a look at this editorial and rebuttal for a more in-depth conversation from both sides about how this issue affects you:
Read: “The Phony Internet Privacy Panic” ►
Read: “The WSJ’s “Phony” Internet Privacy Op-Ed” ►
TWO: The slow art of canoe-making
I was riveted yesterday when I watched this video of a master woodworker carving a log into a dugout canoe. My six-year old daughter and I watched every second of this 18 minute-long video (and sometimes My Little Pony can’t even hold her attention for 18 minutes). I was amazed not only by the craftsmanship, but by the patience required to make something so beautiful. It seems we could all stand to learn a little patience, so go fullscreen with this video and revel in the lost art of canoe-making.
Watch: The Birth of a Dugout Canoe ►
THREE: ICYMI—Supreme Court showdown continues
The face-off in the Senate concerning the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch escalated between parties yesterday: Democrats filibustered and Republicans invoked the “nuclear option.” In our second issue, we discussed President Trump’s nomination of Gorsuch and the fierce opposition from Democrats due to Republican obstruction of President Obama’s nominee last year.
After a week of debates, Republican senators are seeking to confirm Gorsuch before their two-week Easter break; however, a failed 55–45 vote to end Democrats’ filibuster, further parliamentary inquiries, and roll call votes created another road block yesterday. Republicans then used the nuclear option to override the filibuster and move forward with the confirmation. This action altered Senate rules to end debate on a Supreme Court nominee with a simple majority of 51 instead of the threshold of 60 in place since 1975 (67 between 1917 and 1975).
The Senate began the last 30 hours of debate early Thursday afternoon and is expected to conduct the final vote on Gorsuch’s confirmation tonight.
That’s it for today’s FRAY; we’ll see you on Monday! Don’t forget to click that little ❤︎ to let us know you liked it, share it to bring your friends along with us, or sign up to get FRAY in your inbox below.
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Kyle J. Britt
Editor in Chief
FRAY is a thrice weekly email written by a team of liberals, moderates, and conservatives dedicated to separating fact from opinion. Subscribe below and we’ll send you a new issue with perspectives from all sides of the political debate each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
