Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced yesterday that the Senate Commerce Committee approved an amendment that would put into place Congressional oversight of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) controversial Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II).
The CAPPS II system is at the center of a contentious battle between advocates of the privacy and civil liberties of airline passengers and the government’s position that national security and the fight against terrorism require increased data collection, surveillance and the designation of the potential level of threat presented by individual passengers via a color coding system (green – I’m ok you’re ok; yellow – you need a second look; and red – you are not flying today!)
The language of Wyden’s amendment will be incorporated into S. 165, the Air Cargo Security Bill, which awaits Senate action.
See also yesterday’s press release, Committee Approves Air Cargo Security Bill and Focus on CAPPS, a resource about the system from Privacy Activism.
The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and other civil liberties groups sent a letter in support of the Wyden amendment to the Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation.
TSA administrator Adm. James M. Loy responded to the issues raised by privacy advocates in a press release, TSA’s CAPPS II Gives Equal Weight to Privacy, Security, dated March 11.
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Daily Archives: March 14, 2003
Marked Increase in Use of Search Engines
According to a survey of global Internet usage and search engine referrals by WebSideStory, Inc., web users are increasingly likely to go directly to sites from which they seek specific information, rather than to rely on secondary links. In addition, “…search engines apparently are becoming the card catalog to the Web,” with usage showing significant… Continue Reading
ABA Approved Guidelines for Legal Website Providers
From the ABA’s elawyering webzine, Best Practice Guidelines for Legal Information Web Site Providers. The guidelines were approved by the House of Delegate and updated on March 11. Continue Reading
March 16 is Freedom of Information Day
From the American Library Association: “On Freedom of Information Day, March 16, the American Library Association urges libraries and librarians across America to join in celebrating the public’s “right to know” by sponsoring activities to educate their communities about the importance of promoting and protecting freedom of information.” Continue Reading
Nebraska State Law Library Targeted for Closure
As reported by the Omaha-World Herald, the Nebraska State Law Library is in jeopardy of losing its funding due to budget cutbacks, although the library has the support of the Supreme Court judges. Continue Reading
Erosion of Civil Liberties Post 9/11
From the Lawyer’s Committee on Human Rights, a new report, Imbalance of Powers, How Changes to U.S. Law and Policy since 9/11 Erode Human Rights and Civil Liberties (PDF), focuses on the following areas: (1) Open Government; (2) Right to Privacy; (3) Treatment of Immigrants, Refugees and Minorities; and (4) Security Detainees and the Criminal… Continue Reading
GAO Report on OMB's E-Gov Initiatives
Electronic Government: Success of the Office of Management and Budget’s 25 Initiatives Depends on Effective Management and Oversight, by Joel C. Willemssen, managing director, information technology, before the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census, House Committee on Government Reform. GAO-03-495T, March 13. The report Highlights are here. From CIO Magazine’s March… Continue Reading
Cybercrime, File Sharing and College Students
On March 13, the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property held an Oversight Hearing on “International Copyright Piracy: Links to Organized Crime and Terrorism” Links are as follows to the:Witness List, John Malcolm, Rich LaMagna, Joan Borsten Vidov, Jack Valenti. Although not a focus of the hearing, campus-wide file sharing was mentioned. See… Continue Reading
