Momentum against the TIA program is escalating, as the Senate agreed yesterday in a voice vote to accept Ron Wyden’s Amendment 59 to H. Res. 15, the continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 2003. The purpose of the amendment is to block the use of funds for further development and expansion of the program until such time as its impact on civil liberties can be accurately evaluated. Such an evaluation has not been possible as formal Congressional requests for detailed documentation on TIA activities have not yielded results. This matter will now probably move on to a House-Senate conference. In the interim, the program’s funding, and its work, will continue.
For reference, please see the Congressional Record, January 23, 2003 (Senate), Page S1379-S1419. The text of Amendment 59 is toward the bottom of this document, which is quite long, and loads very slowly.
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Daily Archives: January 24, 2003
New IP Advocacy Group
“IP Justice is a new non-profit organization that works to promote balance in global intellectual property law and protect freedom of expression with digital media.” An interview with Executive Director Robin D. Gross, an IP attorney formerly with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, was conducted by CNet. Continue Reading
Debut of the Alliance for Digital Progress
A new lobbying organization, the Alliance for Digital Progress, representing industry and advocacy groups, launched their website and announced their agenda yesterday via a press release and press conference presented by President Fred McClure. The group is “opposed to government-designed and mandated technology to solve the problem of digital piracy,” and seeks to create acceptable… Continue Reading
More Opposition to TIA
The Association for Computing Machinery’s U.S. Public Policy Committee issued a press release “recommending a rigorous independent review of the U.S. Government’s Total Information Awareness (TIA) program.” The organization also issued a copy of a letter they sent to the Armed Services Committee, on behalf of their membership of 70,000 computer scientists, stating in part:… Continue Reading
SEC Adopts Attorney Conduct Rule Under Sarbanes-Oxley Act
On January 23, the “SEC adopted final rules to implement Section 307 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act by setting standards of professional conduct for attorneys appearing and practicing before the Commission in any way in the representation of issuers.” See the press release here. In addition, see the text of the final rule, Disclosure Required by… Continue Reading
More on Reverse Number Look-Up
From J M, via JOHO the Blog, another quick and easy way to locate names and addresses when you have only a telephone number: Using Google, simply type in the 10 digit phone number, and the search result will provide you with the name and address of the associated individual or organization, as well as… Continue Reading
ID Theft Via Employment Records
This USA Today article highlights how your employee data is increasingly vulnerable to ID theft. The means by which such information is obtained is not necessarily sophisticated or complicated, or accomplished electronically. For example, credit card receipts, 401K reports and direct deposit pay stubs thrown into the office trash are collected and then used to… Continue Reading
Diplomat States Patriot Act Not a Threat to Constitutional Rights
Ambassador David Johnson, U.S. permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) issued a statement in response to growing international concerns that U.S. anti-terrorism legislation such as the Patriot Act was negatively impacting the exercise of civil liberties. He stated, “The First Amendment rights of libraries, and bookstores and their patrons,… Continue Reading
