The Open Market Blog

• By: Alex Harris
• 02/14/2009

Bureaucrash just posted a new round of libertarian lolcats to the networking site, Bureaucrash Social. Many are topical. Many are…

• By: Alex Harris
• 02/13/2009

It’s been a while since I posted here, but I thought OpenMarket readers may want to check out a piece I have up on…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/15/2008

I promised, and I shall deliver. As it's my last day as an intern at CEI, this is my last Philosopher's Corner post,…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/15/2008

Who doesn't love a good half-litre? Over at the self-proclaimed “irreverant blog for food outlaws” Crispy on the Outside (which our own…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/15/2008

The Federal Election Commission has held that bloggers are covered by the same rules as journalists, permitting them to write about candidates without their…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/15/2008

The British government has not been known for its high level of respect for privacy. But this truly surprised me. Vnunet reports: The…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/15/2008

On Tuesday, I reported on overblown concerns that the rate of increase in broadband subscribers is not the same as it used to be,…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/15/2008

It’s Friday again, and also my last day as an intern at CEI. So, I’m posting another Toothpastefordinner comic. Any…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/14/2008

Another update on Congress's continuing investigation into online targeted advertising. Google responded by stating that the company does not engage in Deep Packet…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/14/2008

A lawsuit filed for defamation against Wikipedia has just been dismissed by a federal judge. The ruling holds that Wikipedia is not liable…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/14/2008

Ars reports on a strange move by British ISP Virgin Media. Facing pressure from the government to cut down on P2P downloading (I guess…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/13/2008

My colleague Courtney Long and I have been posting about a series of contradictory decisions regarding whether eBay should be held…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

Following on the heels of Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, the state of California is considering passing a law harshly punishing “cyberbullies” with expulsion, up to…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

CNET and the Consumer Electronics Association have just released a new index of consumer confidence in the technology sector. Consumer confidence in…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee began an unnecessary investigation into behavioral advertising practices. As I reported yesterday, Yahoo responded by…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

It's that time again. Time for another (and perhaps the last!) Philosopher's Corner, the recurring feature where I explore questions of justice that pose…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

CNET reports on the increasing number of states that are taxing internet downloads. This comes just months after the controversy surrounding New…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

Back in June, I reported on a bandwidth scare – a report suggesting that the US is lagging in broadband deployment. In the…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

Last month, I wrote a post entitled “Congressmen Oppose Boneheaded National Wireless Plan.” The post detailed how Republican Congressmen who were initially in favor…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

I reported last week on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s superfluous investigation into behavioral advertising. It looks like Yahoo is a little scared…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

It’s not just their looser drug and prostitution laws. The Dutch are also ahead of the US in some free speech areas. Last month, I…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

The California Supreme Court just upheld an 1872 law banning non-compete clauses – agreements that after a manager leaves a company, she won’t…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

The 9th Circuit is hearing a Wiretap Act case that could have broad implications for online privacy. The MPAA hired a hacker who intercepted…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

We’ve previously reported on government-coerced censorship of websites in France, New York, and California. Now Italy is doing it too. This…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

Last month, I reported that the Electronic Frontier Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union had submitted a Freedom of Information Act request…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

Doug Bandow's post on the weak economy hurting the environmental movement got me thinking. Specifically, it got me thinking about Stuff White People…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/08/2008

Yesterday, I reported on the conclusion of the XM-Sirius merger and what it says about the fate of the potential Dish-DirecTV merger. Now, there…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/07/2008

The always hilarious online comic Toothpastefordinner does a send-off of tax policy.

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/07/2008

Several weeks ago, I reported on Bell Canada’s attempt to resolve congestion issues on its network by throttling heavy P2P users. Some doubted…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/07/2008

Apparently, positive portrayals of marital sex are just not super-interesting to TV viewers. So finds a study by the Parents Television Council. The PTC…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/07/2008

It looks like Dish Network and DirecTV are once again considering a merger. The companies must believe the deal would be greatly mutually-beneficial, if…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/06/2008

For the first time ever, the Committee on Presidential Debates has partnered with a website. MySpace, the social networking site that has come under…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/05/2008

Yesterday, I posted on a new technology, called Selectable Output Control, that will allow customers to get movies on their TVs only a…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/05/2008

A group of artists called the Center for Creative Voices in Media has filed an amicus brief in the case now before the Supreme…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/05/2008

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals just handed a victory to Cablevision, a provider of remote DVRs. Unlike regular DVRs, which store your recordings…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/04/2008

It's time for another Philosopher's Corner, an exploration of libertarian issues from a perspective of justice, not consequences. Libertarian political philosophers agree about…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/04/2008

Bad news today for lovers of liberty and lovers of video games. Thailand has just banned Grand Theft Auto IV, following an incident…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/04/2008

A new use for TV cables has got some consumer groups up in arms. Yes, you read that right: a new use for…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/04/2008

A while back, the FTC proposed voluntary rules governing behavioral advertising. The Commission sought comments on its rules, and many organizations…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/01/2008

I just reported on a big case of an administrative agency and Congress opposing each other in their regulatory decisions. Now, there’s another. Though…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/01/2008

The U.S. Securities and Exchanges Commission finally rewrote their rules governing how businesses must disclose information to the public to allow businesses to post…