What aspects of what is market-organised need to be regulated in the public interest? Just as the banking industry has shown not to function in the public interest without regulation, nor the nature-exploiting industry, so also our knowledge environment cannot be left to profit-oriented actors alone. After the collapse of the world economy nationalisation of private companies is no longer taboo. Not a few people have suggested that Google has become an essential infrastructure that should be socialised.
Our society has long provided basic informational services to all: education, libraries, museums, public broadcast, health, the infrastructure of traffic of humans, things and information, funded through societal redistribution by taxes and mandatory broadcast fees. What is to be considered essential goods in the digital age? What is added value and offers business opportunities?
Pranesh Prakash on 23 Apr 09TROY, N.Y. -- A former New York state tax department worker was accused of stealing the identities of thousands of taxpayers and running up more than $200,000 in fraudulent charges. Walter Healey gathered credit card, brokerage account and Social Security numbers that he used to open more than 90 credit card accounts and lines of credit between 2006 and 2008, prosecutors said.