"I wonder if the proper authorities might happen to be monitoring the threads to get certain information."
What?? You wonder?? Come on Gary....you know better...
They even tell you they do. Not too much to wonder about there. What I wonder about is what and when something will be done.
I think you have to pay very close attention to the specific laws involved. Sometimes people can be found legally liable for damages caused by their actions, without having actually violated a written code or statute. For example, someone could be found "guilty" of libel or slander, and be legally liable and ordered to pay damages to somebody else, but will never spend a day in jail because slander is not a criminal act.
There are lots of things that go on on the internet. Some are good, and some are bad. If you look at the bad stuff, some of it is criminal, and some of it is well, just bad, but not criminal.
Regulatory authorities who are here watching are looking for that which is criminal, or violates a specific code or statute. They cannot have an interest in the stuff that is bad, but not criminal. If they did, they would accomplish nothing. They cannot concern themselves with that, and intelligent people shouldn't expect them to. It is their job to protect and defend the law. It is our job as investors to protect ourselves, with DD, against those who are bad but not criminal.
Unfortuantely, a lot of the bad stuff that goes on on SI is Bad, but not criminal. (Don't get me wrong...some of it IS criminal) We should be aware of the obligation to protect ourselves, as the regulatory people have other things going on.
Also, another thing we can do to protect ourselves, as well as each other, is that when you see a specific law or statute being violated, scream it from the rafters. We all have access to the SEC and the Securites Act of 1934. If not, it can all be found here:
sec.gov If someone does it, call them on it.
In my opinion, the internet has an integrity factor somewhere below television, and we should all govern ourselves accordingly.
Just my opinion,
:-)
Binder |
