The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News
1. INTERNET
A new study by Nielsen NetRatings finds MySpace.com to be the web’s fastest growing brand.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Technology Policy Analyst Peter Suderman on the legislative backlash MySpace’s popularity has inspired over child safety issues online:
“With the advent of social networking Web sites like MySpace, the Web is no longer just an extension of the office — it’s a vast virtual playground where individuals of all ages can meet up and chill out. But recent calls for the government to place restrictions and requirements on sites like MySpace would march out the government hall monitors, forcing MySpace to become TheirSpace.”
2. HEALTH
A government health study generates headlines claiming that being even a few pounds overweight can be deadly.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Analyst Steven Milloy on the junk science assumptions created by the study:
“These data are likely biased to some unknown extent since no effort was made by the researchers to ensure that they aren’t biased. Not only are the data unlikely to be representative of 50-71 year-olds in the U.S., they’re not likely even representative of AARP members since only 18 percent of AARP members completed and returned the questionnaires. Which 18 percent of an already selective demographic? Who knows?”
3. BUSINESS
Non-profit advocates inside China call for greater commitment to the business ethic of “corporate social responsibility.”
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Regulatory Policy Analyst Isaac Post on what CSR really means:
“Though CSR was labeled by free-market icon Milton Friedman as a ‘subversive doctrine,’ much of the business community has embraced it, arguing that it is simply ‘good for our business.’ Opponents of CSR have naturally argued the contrary, emphasizing the economic costs of following such a ‘misguided virtue’ as CSR. But little attention has been paid to the actual arguments made by advocates of CSR within the business community. This is a shame, because a closer analysis of the “business case for CSR” shows that it is, indeed, based on a set of assumptions that undermine the legitimacy of the free-enterprise system.”
4. TECHNOLOGY
The European Commission releases three new studies on the future of telecommunications and regulatory reform across Europe.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews prepares for a European conference on applying existing telecom rules to new Internet communications:
“New communication technologies challenge the current regulatory framework of most industrialized nations. The panel will discuss how government regulators should respond. What legacy rules should we import to this new Internet environment? What new rules do we need and which old rules should be eliminated? The best—and most straightforward— route may involve stripping away industry-specific rules and instead enforcing competition regulation and consumer protection rules that apply generally to all economic sectors.”
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