Governments are using selective enforcement, ad-hoc regulatory announcements, and legal threats to shape corporate behavior without establishing clear, transparent rules. Rather than codifying policy, authorities leverage ambiguity and the threat of punishment to compel compliance. This allows governments to assert control while maintaining plausible deniability about intent. Examples: Trump's drug pricing 'agreements,' the FCC's content mandates, Connecticut's location data ban framed as 'study. ' The result is corporate uncertainty and a culture where regulatory whiplash is normalized.