From: "dan@geer.org" <dan@geer.org>
   >Paraphrasing Bonnie Raitt, let's give 'em something germane
   >to argue about.  In particular, what do I have wrong here:
   [1]http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Passcode/Passcode-Voices/2015/0617/Op
   inion-The-reasonable-expectation-fallacy
   The article contains a statement, "Most privacy laws exist to block
   government actions. A few exist to block private institutional actions.
   But none exist to block individuals' actions."
   Strictly speaking, that is not entirely true.  During the 1960's, I
   think, laws against recording conversations were promulgated.  This, of
   course, was the error of the newly-practical transistor.  See the 1974
   movie "The Conversation" with Gene Hackman.  Now, I'm not suggesting
   that such laws were intended for the benefit of the average person:
   Rather, I think politicians of that era realized that technology was
   beginning to allow the recording of their own statements, and they knew
   this could get very messy for them if this were considered legal.
   A second example was in the late 1980's, when laws were passed
   prohibiting radio scanners from receiving the 800-Mhz cell phone
   frequencies used during that era.  Apparently, people were outraged
   that their phone calls were not private, so rather than a technological
   fix, they passed a law prohibiting the manufacture of scanners that
   received those frequencies.  That was silly, however, because mostly
   scanners began to be built with pcb cut-options (or component options)
   which could be easily modified with a soldering iron to re-enable such
   reception.
           Jim Bell

References

   1. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Passcode/Passcode-Voices/2015/0617/Opinion-The-reasonable-expectation-fallacy