---
title: Obey US laws on the Internet
date: "2001-11-23T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - links
wp_id: 1553
description: I highlight the early 2000s legal double standard where US tech companies avoided foreign regulations, such as French law, while the US government asserted its power to prosecute foreign nationals for their online activities.
keywords: [internet law, jurisdiction, legal sovereignty, international regulation, digital law]
---

Technology sure does give the US an advantage. US companies don't have to [obey French law](http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-7815683.html), but the US can [prosecute the French](http://robots.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/11/22/policing.the.internet.ap/index.html).