Casino67 Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 WSJ.com: When we think about the pace of change in technology, it's usually to marvel at how computing power has become cheaper and faster or how many new digital ways we have to communicate. Unfortunately, this pace of change is increasingly clashing with some of the slower-moving parts of our culture. Technology moves so quickly we can barely keep up, and our legal system moves so slowly it can't keep up with itself. By design, the law is built up over time by court decisions, statutes and regulations. Sometimes even criminal laws are left vague, to be defined case by case. Technology exacerbates the problem of laws so open and vague that they are hard to abide by, to the point that we have all become potential criminals. Boston civil-liberties lawyer Harvey Silverglate calls his new book "Three Felonies a Day," referring to the number of crimes he estimates the average American now unwittingly commits because of vague laws. New technology adds its own complexity, making innocent activity potentially criminal. Mr. Silverglate describes several cases in which prosecutors didn't understand or didn't want to understand technology. This problem is compounded by a trend that has accelerated since the 1980s for prosecutors to abandon the principle that there can't be a crime without criminal intent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 @Casino67 Given the size of the federal register I'm surprised it's only three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casino67 Posted August 18, 2012 Author Share Posted August 18, 2012 Good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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