History Buff Compares FCC Data Privacy Enforcement to the 1934 Communications Act 'Wiretap Gap,' Warns of a New 'Roaring Twenties' of Surveillance
In a stunning parallel that has digital rights advocates buzzing, a prominent historian is drawing a direct line between today’s FCC data privacy enforcement and the lax regulatory era that followed the 1934 Communications Act—an era that inadvertently ushered in the 'Wiretap Gap' and a hidden explosion of unregulated corporate surveillance. Just as Prohibition ended in 1933, sparking a 'Roaring Twenties' of unchecked consumer data collection by telegraph and telephone monopolies, experts argue the FCC’s current, fragmented approach to data privacy enforcement mirrors the same regulatory blind spot that allowed AT&T to hoard call logs for decades without consequence. The historian warns that unless the FCC closes this modern loophole, we risk a second 'Roaring Twenties'—only this time, every swipe, click, and location ping will be the new speakeasy.