Glenn Beck: Cars.gov Allows Government to Take Over Your Computer

by Dave C. Jones

Folsom, CA - 3 Aug 2009 @ 0830 PDT - I love Glenn Beck. I really do. He tells it like it is and airs stories that no one else would. For instance, his story Friday about the Cars.gov website and the broad use agreement the government makes users agree to when entering the site. (See the whole cars.gov segment from the Glenn Beck show.)

Essentially, the end user license agreement states that if you enter the site you agree that your computer is deemed to be a federal computer and that all the contents of your computer and anything you transmit to or from your computer is subject to intercept by the government. The feds say they can give whatever information they intercept or find on your computer to law enforcement and other agencies both foreign and domestic!

Is this a major power grab or what? I don't care what the feds think their justification is for their broad terms of use agreement but it is not necessary and is highly likely to be abused even if the intentions were good when it was written.

I would not go to that site on my computer. Call me a conspiracy theorist if you wish, but I don't trust the government at all. And when they openly say they are going to take all your information if you enter their site, why should I trust them?

Updated 3 Aug 2009 @ 1915 PDT: Today, Glenn Beck announced that the White House has removed the language about the feds being able to commandeer your computer and search all data and communications "touching" the computer. The exact terms of the new use agreement are still being determined by the Obama adminstration, but at least the language has been removed. Of course, as Judge Napolitano stated on Glenn's show today, the real question is whether the adminstration is still intercepting communications to and from these dealer's computers but simply removed the disclaimer statement. The PATRIOT Act authroizes the government to do those types of warrantless searches— (and see Wiki for more info) but getting a person's "consent" is a whole lot easier than arguing these sticky issues in court. We'll have to see how it plays out.

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Dave Jones is not your typical liberal California criminal defense trial attorney. He is a libertarian who believes in less government, more guns, and greater freedom–in short, the principles on which this country was founded. He can be reached at his law firm, the American Justice Center, via e-mail at djones at AmericanJusticeCenter.com. Read more of his writings at blog.AmericanJusticeCenter.com.