There are cases of government initiatives working really well though. Take, for example, the anti-currency DRM they have installed in every (?) consumer-grade printing device.
When it *really* matters to them, the government can be highly effective.
Or the dot patterns laid down by color printers as a watermark...
Our typewriters are already registered?
but something as pricey as brain imaging is completely pointless unless it can exceed the performance of paper, not just correlate with it.
Of course, it's not pointless if it garners him a research grant.
The world is full of 'scientists', eager find interesting things that make no economic sense, on someone elses buck/pound.
So who's the one not respecting privacy rights, the robber or the one who asks to share the robber's take? Of course it's easier to carp over the other guy, than come to terms that the EU is at least, if not more paternalistic than the US. All the privacy laws seem to rigidly control what individuals and companies can do but pretty much give a free pass the the governments. Both are bad for the citizens of the US and the EU. Both point to the other countries policies and say, "See, they do it, so we should too." When both citiens stand firm and pressure their reps to do the right thing, we support each other. Of course, I have no illusions of how easy that is. venril
He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him. -- Bion