Comments of Adam D. Thierer (Mercatus Center at George Mason University) to the Federal Trade Commission in its proceeding on “the consumer privacy and security issues" associated with the “Internet of Things.” The filing argues that the Internet of Things -- like the Internet itself --...

A potential avalanche of “algorithmic fairness” regulations is looming that, if triggered, would thunder through our economy with one of the most significant expansions of economic and social regulation – and the power of the administrative state – in recent history. Federal and state...

The next big wave of data-driven technological innovation will connect physical devices embedded with tiny computing devices to the Internet in an effort to seamlessly improve the measurements, communications, flexibility, and customization of our daily needs and activities. This “Internet of...

The television distribution marketplace has been substantially regulated since the advent of broadcast television in the 1940s and 1950s. The Federal Communications Commission and Congress have relied on several justifications for the regulatory protection of the system of local broadcasters...

The Food and Drug Administration, one of the oldest regulatory agencies, is showing unfortunate signs of age, particularly in its drug and device approval process. The approval process was established with the best of intentions — namely, to keep unsafe products off the market — but it has...

Do citizens have the right to determine their own courses of treatment and to use medicines and devices that they think could improve their health? And, to the extent regulators seek to restrict that freedom, what is the practicality and cost of doing so? These questions animate the debate over...

This article summarizes the major policy recommendations contained in the book, "Permissionless Innovation: The Continuing Case for Comprehensive Technological Freedom" (now in its second edition). The book highlights the importance of permissionless innovation and explains how technological...

Use of the wide variety of available technological controls, household media rules and other private sector efforts are a much better alternative to government regulation to address concerns about children's exposure to violence on television. Lawmakers should be wary of policies that could be...

The unstated assumption underlying the drive for a la carte regulation and family-friendly tiering mandates is that government can somehow magically create a right to receive video programming on any terms you wish. Certainly if you don't like what your current video service provider has to...

Congress and the FCC should free over the air broadcast radio from regulations that are not imposed on its competitors to allow it to compete with satellite radio and other media. Furthermore, the playing field is best leveled by deregulating down, rather than regulating up with new restrictions...