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Daily Archives: August 19, 2018

The origins of the Society of American Archivists

National Archives History – As the Society for American Archivists (SAA) meets for the 82nd annual meeting here in Washington, DC, we’re taking a look back at the origins of the organization. SAA was founded just two years after Congress created the National Archives and came to be, in part, because the efforts of National Archives staff. “The nation’s first association of archivists was the Public Archives Commission of the American Historical Association (AHA). It was established 1899 and held its first conference in 1909 in conjunction with AHA’s annual meeting. But, by the time the National Archives was created in 1934, the commission had largely disbanded. The following year, first Archivist of the United States R.D.W. Connor, with the help of the National Archives Director of Publications, Solon Buck, organized a program on the need for an archival organization for AHA’s 1935 annual meeting. The group met in Chattanooga, TN, in December 1935. The discussion began with a presentation by Theodore C. Blegen, Superintendent of the Minnesota Historical Society, on “Problems of American Archivists.”  Problems included the lack of public records laws at both the state and Federal level; a lack of archival educational resources and opportunities; a lack of classification, cataloging, and description guidelines; and a lack of housing, care, and repair standards for records, among others. At the end, he recommended a professional association of American archivists be established to help mitigate the problems. The group then discussed establishing such an association and formed a committee of ten, with an executive committee of three, to write a constitution and organize a meeting…”

Book Review: Crime and Global Justice: The Dynamics of International Punishment

Blog of the London School of Economics: “In Crime and Global Justice: The Dynamics of International Punishment, Daniele Archibugi and Alice Pease delve into the hypocrisies and failings of international justice projects. Their book offers a timely reminder that the current international justice regime has not offered a silver bullet for complex political problems, writes Teemu Laulainen. “In the absence of… Continue Reading

EU aims to abolish planned obsolescence

RetailDetail: “The European Parliament accepted a resolution to lengthen consumer goods and software’s longevity, a counter to the alleged planned obsolescence process built into a lot of products. Indication of minimal life expectancy – The European Parliament now wants the European Commission to create a clear definition of the term “planned obsolescence” and to develop a… Continue Reading

Between You, Me, and Google: Problems With Gmail’s “Confidential Mode”

EFF: “With Gmail’s new design rolled out to more and more users, many have had a chance to try out its new “Confidential Mode.” While many of its features sound promising, what “Confidential Mode” provides isn’t confidentiality. At best, the new mode might create expectations that it fails to meet around security and privacy in Gmail. We… Continue Reading

Will Privacy First Be The New Normal? An Interview With Privacy Guru, Ann Cavoukian

This is a two-part series that explores the rise of Privacy by Design (PbD) from the basic framework, to its inclusion in the GDPR, to its application in business practices and infrastructure especially in the wake of Artificial Intelligence. Forbes – “We had the pleasure of sitting down with Ann Cavoukian, former 3-Term Privacy Commissioner… Continue Reading

Invisible Institute launches expanded Chicago police misconduct database

The Chicago Reader: “An expansive new version of the Citizens Police Data Project has been unveiled by south-side journalism production company the Invisible Institute. The database, created by independent journalist Jamie Kalven, was already the largest public repository of Chicago police misconduct records. Now it’s quadrupled in size to include more than 240,000 misconduct complaints made against more… Continue Reading

EPIC to FTC: Google’s Location Tracking Violates Consent Order

“Following a report that Google tracks user location even when users opt-out, EPIC wrote to the FTC that Google violated the 2011 consent order. EPIC said “Google’s subsequent changes to its policy, after it has already obtained location data on Internet users, fails to comply with the 2011 order.” EPIC also told the FTC that “The Commission’s inactions have made… Continue Reading

From Baghdad to Timbuktu: Libraries Rising From the Ashes

“Throughout history, culture has often been targeted during times of conflict.  Monuments, architecture, libraries and works of art have been subject to systematic damage and destruction in an attempt to erase knowledge and artistic achievements.  As this installation attests, recent conflicts in Iraq and Mali offer devastating examples. History presents many others: from the Imperial… Continue Reading

HUD File Housing Discrimination Complaint Against Facebook

“WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today a formal complaint against Facebook for violating the Fair Housing Act by allowing landlords and home sellers to use its advertising platform to engage in housing discrimination. HUD claims Facebook enables advertisers to control which users receive housing-related ads based upon the… Continue Reading

EPIC Comments on Second Annual Privacy Shield Review

EPIC Comments on Second Annual Privacy Shield Review – “EPIC provided comments to the European Commission to inform the second annual review of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, a framework that permits the processing of the personal data of Europeans in the United States. EPIC detailed the latest privacy developments in the U.S., including the extension of Fourth Amendment… Continue Reading

UK Open standards for government

Open standards for government – Information about the open standards chosen for use in government technology. “The UK government selects open standards for use in government technology. The aim is to apply these consistently across government bodies, making our services more integrated and better for users. These profiles include the open standards chosen by peer… Continue Reading