Striking even closer to the concerns of public officials of all stripes, the exemption of Internet sales from taxation is a potential threat to states and localities that rely on sales taxes to finance their programs. That is a concern naturally uniting the most partisan of Democrats and Republicans. What is striking at the moment when it comes to privacy is that the big, bad government wolf is not a Joseph McCarthy-like reactionary or even a religious prude in the image of Pat Robertson, but more like Bill Clinton. The Internet has introduced new problems ranging from malicious hacking and sales of prescription drugs to cyberstalking. Most people want these problems addressed.
Disagreement comes when the solutions more than the problems themselves frighten people.
Others, however, are willing to let the government onto their computers to protect their children from pedophiles lurking in chat rooms. OK, let's move past the straightforward part. Many privacy advocates argue that the real danger is not from the government, but from profit-seeking corporations, greedily searching for consumer data. Why, it's the government, of course. Uncle Sam is being called on to restrict private firms in their collection of personal information.