Public Participation

Editor’s Note:  The Pacesetter is initiating a series which describes regulatory innovations external to the United States.  The objective of the series is to highlight the movement throughout the world  to foster the development of smart regulation.

The Triple Border, consisting of the intersection of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, is the hotbed for funding terrorist organizations and has gotten off from any serious prosecution for years.

Now as a result of considerable progress in streamlining the prevailing regulations for a number of Brazilian enforcement agencies, crime in the Triple Border is finally being addressed in a forceful manner.

The convergence of forces, the recently disclosed use of the social media platform to promote the interest of foreign entities coupled with the self righteous statements of Silicon Valley that they are merely conduits in the information age, could be leading to the creation of one of the most significant regulatory programs in recent US history– regulation of the social media.

If history repeats itself, in lieu of a balanced program which allows the social media to continue to grow as a important component of the US economy, it is likely that there will be an overreaction which could dampen its prospects in the long run. On the other hand the vast constituency of the social media could hamper any such regulatory initiatives as is the case with Uber.