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April 26, 2006
Candidate for State House speaks out on cell phone records bill
I asked for some thoughts from District 52 candidate Jon Davidson after his opponent in the November 7 election, Representative Rob Briley, was among four Democrats on the House Constitutional Protections Committee who refused to second a motion to discuss HB2500.
Mr. Davidson responded to my query with a reminder that the process by which this bill was effectively ignored is a necessary filter for frivolous legislation; but then he went on to state that his cursory view of the bill rendered it worthy of at least a second look.
His full statement:
I would have seconded the motion to take up the bill if I were a voting member of the committee. This question emphasizes the importance of having a Constitutional Protections Committee populated by legislators who have a firm grasp on the frightening capabilities of modern electronics and computer systems in the context of the privacy guaranteed by our Constitution and so treasured by all Americans. It is a proven fact that no computer system is invulnerable to attack, given adequate time and incentive on the part of hackers. But it is irrelevant whether millions of cell phone numbers are harvested by "airwave hacking" or by "human bribery". The end result is the same. Let us remind ourselves that in practice, this invasion of privacy is actually a "white collar" or corporate crime motivated by profits running into tens of millions of dollars in Tennessee alone. If the average Tennessean is annoyed or interrupted in their daily lives by phone sales calls for even ten minutes per week, the aggregate cost in lost time adds up to over one billion dollars per year. I have presented a dollar cost merely to illustrate the power of the forces in play here, since it is obvious that some people have a doubtful grasp on the true value of our Constitutional rights.
Government | By joe lance | 10:28 PM