5 Essay Questions

1) What are "Smart Borders"?

Smart borders are those boundaries set up between countries that help ease the flow of people and goods as well as secure the borders by blending efficient border management with state-of-the-art advanced technology. By shifting to a risk management system, law enforcement agencies can identify and prevent terrorist weapons, hazardous materials, goods, etc., from entering the US through scanning technology and platforms. This should “enable us to accelerate legitimate flows of people and goods into the United States and Canada and across our common border, while enhancing the physical security and economic competitiveness of our countries.”[1] 2) What is Intellectual Property (IP) theft...How is or how can IP violations be rendered undesirable or unprofitable...Is enforcing IP violations worth the trouble...Why or why not?

IP theft is illegally taking someone’s invention, ideas or other creative designs without paying the person or company. From computer software to counterfeit clothing, and trade secrets, it is a billion dollar a year problem. The FBI has a division which its sole purpose is to protect US products from counterfeiting and piracy. Law enforcement such as Border Patrol and ICE, along with business organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, work together to strengthen laws against IP violations. These organizations also work with foreign governments to address the ever-growing problem.

It’s very difficult to enforce IP violations especially in countries where governments aren’t very helpful. China, for example, is one of the leading violators of IP theft as the government does not initiate an investigation of stolen IP. Instead they require other countries to show evidence that theft of Intellectual Property is taking place in a factory or other businesses. According to Robert Barchiesi, President of the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition in Washington, D.C. states, “Counterfeiting and piracy have grown to epidemic proportion in recent years, costing the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of jobs, and, in the case of many counterfeit products, threatening the very lives of Americans.”[2]

The cost of trying to enforce IP theft laws versus actual convictions isn’t worth the trouble. So many obstacles prevent the violators from being prosecuted and a person or company being compensated for the theft. Although it’s serious when trade secrets or computer components are stolen and obtained by rogue nations, unless the US is willing to make the penalties so extreme and actually enforce them, it’s a waste of time. With so much news being generated every minute on every social media, how often does one really see a headline about a person prosecuted of IP theft?

3) Fully discuss Executive Order 13,133. How can the use or misuse of the Internet affect the economy?

Executive Order 13,133 states that the Working Group in which the Attorney General heads, addresses the problem of unlawful conduct using the internet. A report from the AG deals with the issues of the effectiveness of the federal laws pertaining to the unlawful use of the internet in which illegal goods such as guns, drugs, child pornography, etc., that investigators and prosecutors can use to prosecute offenders. It also looks at what new technical tools or legal authority is needed for effective prosecution along with the tools necessary to educate the public to lower the risk of being scammed via the Internet. It also directs the Working Group to look at the Administration policies concerning the internet such as technology-neutral laws, self-regulation, and commerce activity.

When it comes to the economy, the internet plays a major role in both helping and hindering it. The internet gives people the ability to shop online without going to stores. The amount of goods purchased online each year is in the billions of dollars. On the other hand, online shopping has cut the amount of foot traffic that used to walk through the malls which has hurt these businesses. Education has now gone virtual with classes such as this one online while studies show enrollment in colleges and universities are down. Access to classes via the internet has allowed people to choose schools that don’t have a physical presence but are accredited and allows people to achieve their educational goals without driving to a school.

Of course there is the criminal side of the internet in which scam artists target just about every socio-economic class. Cyber-crimes don’t discriminate and cost the US economy billions of dollars in lost revenue and savings. From Intellectual Property such as illegal music downloads to personal credit card fraud, where there is new technology there are criminals waiting in the wings to manipulate the system to gain illegal profits. Computer hackers are the new bootleggers of old.

There are dozens of examples of how the internet affects the economy of not only the US but across the vast business world. Both good and bad happens at the stroke of a keyboard every day and as technology advances, so does the ability of the criminal element to find a way to swindle the system to make money from illegal activities via the internet.

 

Notes

1. United States Government, United States – Canada Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness. The White House, February 4, 2011, accessed November 10, 2014, http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/wh/us-canada-btb-action-plan.pdf

2. Bremer, Darlene. IACC Focuses Efforts on Intellectual Property Rights. Accessed November 10, 2014, http://www.counterfeitscankill.org/news/?fa=show&id=4519&cms=1