[3057] in Privacy_Forum
[ PRIVACY Forum ] Privacy, Mitt Romney, and Taxes
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (PRIVACY Forum mailing list)
Tue Jul 17 22:31:27 2012
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:21:00 -0700
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Privacy, Mitt Romney, and Taxes
http://j.mp/NUzUsn (This message on Google+)
- - -
Though nobody has actually asked me explicitly about this, I want to
briefly mention why I believe that the ongoing controversy regarding
Mitt Romney's refusal to release more than his 2010 (and he says,
when completed, 2011) tax returns, is relevant to this list.
Clearly, it is completely within his rights not to release additional
returns publicly. This is a basic and fundamental privacy fact.
However, this case provides us with a fascinating example of how privacy
issues can interplay in complex manners with other considerations -- in
this case, political ones.
Mitt Romney's problem in this matter is not likely one of law, it is
one of precedent and expectations. It has become common for
candidates to high offices to release significant numbers of back
returns. It could be argued that given the controversial (though
legal!) natures of his income and investments strategies as we know
them to date, interest in the details of his returns is of especial
note, particularly given the many years of returns released by his
current opponent, and even by his own father in a past run for high
office.
Most observers are assuming that there is nothing illicit in the tax
returns that Romney refuses to release on privacy grounds, but rather
than there's associated materials that could look very bad from a
purely political standpoint in the current race.
There is ongoing speculation that Mitt Romney will announce his
pick of a vice-presidential running mate sooner rather than later,
and that this might divert attention from the current controversies
surrounding Romney's tax returns and related issues.
But it seems quite likely that one of the first questions that will be
asked of his VP pick will be related to that person's *own* tax
returns, with immediate comparisons drawn with Romney's stance. The
issue isn't likely to go away.
Can privacy ultimately triumph over politics for Mitt Romney?
We shall see.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org
Founder:
- Data Wisdom Explorers League: http://www.dwel.org
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren / Twitter: http://vortex.com/t-lauren
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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