The Supreme Court is debating if 1988 video laws cover your Internet life
Because nothing says modern tech regulation like asking judges to decipher a law written for VHS tapes back when Robert Bork was a household name.
Back in 1988, a journalist leaked the video rental history of a failed Supreme Court nominee named Robert Bork . Congress got so annoyed they passed a law to stop anyone from digging through your movie habits. Fast forward to now, and a guy named Michael Salazar is suing Paramount Global because he thinks his newsletter subscription shouldn't result in his viewing habits being sold for targeted ads.
Paramount argues that a newsletter isn't a VHS tape, so the law shouldn't apply. They are terrified that if the Supreme Court rules for Salazar, the 1988 statute will suddenly turn into a massive, unworkable internet privacy nightmare. The judges have to decide if a 'consumer' in the 80s is the same thing as someone clicking a link today.
It is truly peak American governance to rely on relics of the video rental era to police the modern data-tracking economy.
Source: UPI
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