Ashcroft wants more subpoena power over consumer data.

Not satisfied with the radical increases in subpoena power already granted in the past few years, Attorney General John Ashcroft in July called for more powers to seize consumer records from businesses without bothering with the pesky judicial process.

Ashcroft's police-state plan gives consumers less reason to trust businesses with personal information on their purchasing preferences. This undermining of the customer-business relationship can leave businesses less able to serve their customers by learning about their tastes and choices. This attempt to gum up the smooth flow of information in the private marketplace will not only harm trust between consumers and businesses; but result in higher prices from compliance costs.