Today, thanks to political gridlock in the U.S., lawmakers respond to innovations with all the speed of continental drift. As government gets slower, tech is going the opposite way. New technologies spread instantly by cloud-based apps and social networks, and take hold with almost no legal oversight. Then, by the time government can act, it's usually too late to wind things back to the way they were.
And this, as it turns out, is terrific for tech startups, especially those aimed at demolishing creaky old norms—like taxis, or flight paths over crowded airspace, or money. Lately, the law vs. tech gap is making headlines as it upends the rules around sports gambling. The daily fantasy sports sites FanDuel and DraftKings are showing how fast technology can exploit the gap and put government on its heels.
This problem is as old as law itself. From thrown rocks to spears, bow and arrow to guns, agricultural to industrial economies, government has always had this problem.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Tuesday November 03 2015, @06:44AM
FanDuel and DraftKings are a scourge on the sports scene, in an entertainment ecosystem already partially crippled by "fantasy sports"
You over state your case. In fact, I don't think you have a case. Partially crippled? Scourge? seriously?
This is merely an temporary aberration, a simple instance of fraud. It gets taken care of by the usual means.
There is no reason to go all maudlin and drag government into every new development in the tech world just to prevent the fleecing of a few gullible early adopters.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 03 2015, @06:45PM
The implementation of rules and regulations? Which proves that the point of the article is completely wrong, government not understanding technology is not a good thing at all. The government's failure to understand technology is why the DEA and NSA are allowed to do what they're doing, despite their unconstitutionality and illegality.