The next battle will be to advocate for the changes to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. While the bill was intended to stop "unlawful internet gambling," the legislation never actually spelled out what this means. As a result, the bill has the unintended consequences of expanding government regulation of the internet and turning online payment transaction companies into informants and enforcers for the federal government, raising privacy concerns as well as costs to consumers. To fix this problem, FreedomWorks is supporting HR 6870, "The Payments System Protection Act of 2008." This bill, which is being marked up on Tuesday, September 16, will protect legitimate online transactions from unnecessary monitoring.
FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe commented:
"It has long been our position that the internet should be free from regulation, and your transactions and activities on the internet should not be monitored by a bureaucrat. FreedomWorks is launching this new campaign to protect our privacy and the future of innovation online. Our immediate concern is generating grassroots support for HR 6870, "The Payments System Protection Act of 2008," which would correct problems created by previous legislation and prevent financial institutions from being turned into federal agents and watching your online transactions for the government. We will be vigilant in trying to stop the excessive regulations created by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and other trespasses against internet freedom."
FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey added:
"Government keeping its nose out of peoples lives is a fundamental pillar of conservatism. The internet has evolved relatively free of government intervention and there's no reason to change that now. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Act is right in stopping illegal online gambling, but the bill needs the modifications offered in HR 6870, "The Payments System Protection Act of 2008" to protect individual privacy and keep the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act from becoming a back door to federal regulation of the internet."