Registration requires fingerprinting, paying fees, and subjecting yourself to on-demand audits. If the CFTC is allowed to enforce these regulations, it poses a much larger threat to free speech than even the Communications Decency Act. According to the CFTC, information already in the public domain about commodities is commodity trading advice subject to regulation. The Internet, of course, provides a method of storing, transmitting, and obtaining access to vast amounts of information with a few clicks of a mouse.
Entire libraries are at one's fingertips.
Equally troubling is the prospect of the CFTC scouring through the Net in an attempt to find an unauthorized person who offers books and information about the commodities market. But if a provider adds any commentary, including advertising, this triggers the CFTC registration requirement. If you provide opinions, then you must register. If you receive compensation from any advertisers on your website, then you must register. Hyperlinks are one of the most prominent and important features of the Net, and the CFTC is determined to regulate them.