Agencies' Experts Make Privacy Regulation A Serious Threat

Now is the time to get smart about privacy and technology, because your government regulators are smart and savvy in those areas.

No, that's not a misprint. Though government regulators are often far behind on the technology curve, real experts have taken over at several important agencies that regulate conduct on the Internet.

Take Ashkan Soltani, the relatively new Chief Technologist for the Federal Trade Commission. Just by hiring a chief technologist, the FTC showed awareness of the need for deep computer expertise to effectively regulate privacy and commercial practices on the Internet. And by hiring Soltani, one of the sharpest computer privacy experts in country, the FTC showed it was serious.