Reading+17

**Reading 17**
__ Data Deprivation__ __The National Security State and Information__ __Varieties of Privatization: Contracting Out__ __Deregulation__ __The Current Scene__
 * For centuries there has been a struggle between states attempting to limit our individual expression and individuals struggling to reduce censorship
 * The American Economy is now hostage to a relatively small number of giant private companies that set the national agenda
 * This power is particularly characteristic of the commuication and information sector where our cultures media agenda is set by a very small number of private agents
 * Corporations attempt to pursuade the public that their messages are an expression of their individual free expression
 * Based on century old Supreme Court ruling that a corporation is an individual
 * We are living in a warped social institutional society
 * Even scientists are selling their findings to large corporation
 * Most scientists hold shares in "for-profit" companies
 * There are major ties between University researchers and private corporations
 * There is a worry that these types of ties may result in biased outcomes
 * The government holds 300-400 million documents from WWI
 * The department of energy holds at least 32 million pages of secret papers
 * These documents are related to nuclear tests, radiation etc.
 * "Contracting Out" is when a government (at any level) makes a deal to have some of its functions undertaken by private contractors
 * i.e. Waste disposal, libraries etc.
 * The problem with Contracting out is that with the increase of contractual agreements with commercial firms to disseminate information at the tax payers expenses, results in higher user charges for government information . The ordinary, individual user is at a disadvantage
 * People blamed the difficulties of emerging businesses in the 70's on regulation
 * Regulation took off in the Roosevelt era
 * It is important to note that social order is splitting into a two tiered structure. Because of this, information is customer-tailored. Access to this information is priced so that it is only affordable to the upscale clientele and therefore, available to commercial and corporate users who can afford it.
 * The negative part of deregulation is that reducing the regulatory function over a consumer often results in less information being offered to the public
 * When relieved of certain democratic obligations, the data concerning these social undertakings either vanishes or is never collected
 * There has been quite a bit of corporate growth over the last 50 years
 * This is a result of:
 * Deregulation of economic activity
 * Privatization of functions once public
 * Commercialization of activities once social
 * Large amounts of information are only available to those who can afford it
 * Public communication is directed by corporations