Lou's Blues XXIV

Julian Sanchez | November 20, 2004

Heritage tackles privacy and security related concerns about outsourcing.

Comments

The White Anglo Saxon Protesta|11.20.04 @ 1:39PM|#

In fact, INSOURCING may prove to be the larger economic threat, at least in terms of labor instability. T.R. Ried's "United States of Europe" makes some very keen observations about the number of formerly American companies being purchased and operated in the U.S. by EU countries according to EU standards. These countries have mutually agreed to labor rules American facilities are not subject to. When they experience downturns, their U.S. facilites will be the first and may be the only plants to suffer because EU labor rules forbid much of the kind of outsourcing, downsizing and layoffs U.S. labor standards allow. As long as the dollar remains weak, our vulnerability is increased.

The Lonewacko Blog|11.20.04 @ 2:53PM|#

I have no idea why I bothered to continue scanning after this bit in the first paragraph: In fact, if the U.S. partners with nations that share a commitment to the rule of law, transparency, and open competition, it can use sensible outsourcing to enhance the protec�tion of the privacy of American citizens, promote better security practices, and contribute to economic prosperity.

And, if [flawed condition], I'd [hopeful outcome]!

Let's say that outsourcing analyzing NSA intercepts to Pakistan is at one end of the scale, and using American workers in Moline, Illinois to process rebate coupons is at the other. Outsourcing any form of sensitive data to another country will always fall closer to the Pakistan end than the Moline end. There's simply no way around that.

The Lonewacko Blog|11.20.04 @ 5:09PM|#

Amidst his earnest attempt to think up new domain names, Lonewacko provides the following follow up:

Let's say you have the identical security setup at two companies that process data. One in Missouri, the other in Norway. Let's say SMERSH operatives want some of that data, and they try to corrupt employees at both companies.

Adjusting for personality factors, the potentially corrupt employees at the Norwegian company would be more likely to say, "what the hell, the only people affected would be Americans."

The White Anglo Saxon Protesta|11.20.04 @ 5:16PM|#

Lone - But the Libertarian theory of economics holds that nationality doesn't matter, nations and their differing approaches toward capitalism vs. central control don't matter, that somehow economics operates outside the spheres of law and politics. Hey, if U.S. companies outsource, to say, Mainland China, who mere decades ago was our sworn enemy, still have a one-party dicatorship, and only managed to acknowledge the value of private property EARLIER THIS YEAR, and whose system of governance and ridiculously large population keep labor costs artificially low, hell, that's just FREE TRADE.

|11.21.04 @ 12:31PM|#

"and whose system of governance and ridiculously large population keep labor costs artificially low, hell, that's just FREE TRADE."

Yeah, and we Frenchmen shouldn't be buying oranges from Portugal either because they receive unfair help from the Sun!