Obama’s voting record in the US Senate on civil rights issues always troubled me. Sure, he talks beautifully. But he voted for some of the worst things that the Bush Administration did to the US and the world (surveillance on US citizens in Patriot Act, telecom immunity for spying, policies in Iraq, etc).
So it should not be surprising to learn in this article from CNET News that Obama has picked attorneys for the notorious Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to lead his Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Ironically, attorneys who sue Peer-2-Peer file-sharers, chip away at online free expression guarantees, and have systematically worked to eliminate the privacy rights of US consumers are being put in charge of setting US legal policy by Obama. Disappointing.
Is it possible that Obama’s information policy platform will be even worse than Bush’s? It looks like the same industries are calling the shots regardless of whether a red shirt or a blue shirt is worn in the White House.