When technology gets ahead of policy makers
Gary Arlen
Government regulation has never been able to keep pace with technology. From behavioural targeting to 'authentication', the technologies that power today's digital marketing services are coming under increased government scrutiny. The goals of consumer privacy protection and intellectual property rights are noble, but policy makers' necessarily lethargic processes inevitably fall far behind innovators' ability to create new technological schemes.
It is a futile game of catch-up. Moreover, it raises the risk that government meddling will kill ideas before they can develop into viable business practices. Equally frustrating are restrictions on new...