A couple of days ago Ben Hammersley was noting that difference between the Internet and the Internet in the US. While there's plenty of "warm and cheap places" where developers could write all the software they want, sometime our rights might change when a company moves. Check out this interesting post by Tris Hussey (via Strange Attractor) about Flickr moving their services from Canada to the US.

Under the Patriot Act, the FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and compel Yahoo/Flickr to open up the data doors to them on the basis of "national security" or that a "person of interest" has photos there.  They don't need a warrant.  Yahoo/Flickr will not be able by law to inform you that this has happened, going to happen, etc.
 
And it goes beyond this.  Given the right-wing politics of the day, how long will it be before Yahoo is forced to close or restrict the tags "nude" and "erotic"?  This would not happen in Canada.