Congress Updates Law So Netflix Can Spam Your Facebook

You might remember Robert Bork, if you’re a total nerd: every time somebody on Fox News screams about “legislating from the bench,” they’re quoting Bork. He also wrote a book arguing that antitrust law was wrong because huge mergers benefit consumers. Oh, and also, when he was a judge, he argued that a sailor should have been dishonorably discharged for homosexual conduct because he had no right to privacy under the Constitution.

Aren’t you glad this guy isn’t on the Supreme Court?

Anyway, one of the ways he inadvertently screwed up your life is by getting his video store records pulled by a reporter during his Supreme Court nomination process, which made Congress pass the Video Privacy Protection Act: aka “Don’t Look At My Porn Rental History, Bro.” The problem is that the Act was passed in 1988 and requires video stores to get a signed paper release before discussing your history.

Oh, and you have to do it every time you want your records released, meaning for Netflix to get you to share a movie on Facebook, you’d have to print out and mail them a three-page document.

Fortunately, a Republican Congressman is happy to introduce a new rule allowing Netflix to spam your Facebook, just like every other applications, because hey, there’s nothing else for him to do, right?

Right?