The House Government Reform Committee, Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census oversight, held a hearing, “Data Mining: Current Applications and Future Possibilities,” on March 25. Witness testimony included discussion of concerns associated with privacy issues and the Total Information Awareness (TIA) program as well as the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II). EPIC submitted comments to the committee by letter, which included the following statement: “We write to call your attention to the growing practice of federal agencies purchasing commercial databases for law enforcement purposes. It is our view that these activities violate the intent of the Privacy Act and should be suspended.” For more information on the hearing and quotes from specific testimony, look here and here.
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Daily Archives: March 26, 2003
Authentication Systems, Privacy and Security
Currently available online only in OpenBook format, a free pre-publication version of Who Goes There?: Authentication Through the Lens of Privacy, Stephen T. Kent and Lynette I. Millett, Editors, Committee on Authentication Technologies and Their Privacy Implications, National Research Council. The report provides analysis of and recommends guidelines for the development, implementation and deployment of… Continue Reading
Federal E-Gov Health Info Exchange Guidelines
“The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the first set of uniform standards for the electronic exchange of clinical health information to be adopted across the federal government.” Continue Reading
Washington State's Library Filtering Bill
The Washington State Senate passed SB 5242, requiring libraries to offer filtering software for minor access to the internet, by a vote of 36 to 13. The bill has been referred to the House Technology, Telecommunications & Energy Committee. Continue Reading
IRS Free File Program and Privacy Issues
The IRS Free File program has generated usage far beyond agency expectations, with 53 million taxpayers anticipated to file eletronically this year according to CNN. However, there is a flip side to this free web service. A coalition of advocacy groups (EPIC, Consumers Union, the Consumer Federation of America, National Consumer Law Center, and the… Continue Reading
Google, Privacy and Going Public
From the International Herald Tribune, Being Googled: Web search tool is not without critics, this article touches on how this high profile company, that responds to 200 million global requests daily, successfully deflects criticism concerning its indexing, privacy and data collection policies. There appears to be more interest in whether the company will go public… Continue Reading
States Fail in Cybersecurity Planning
A new study from Zeichner Risk Analytics LLC, State Implementation of Cyber-Security Requirements (pdf) identifies 36 states that have failed to prepare for and implement appropriate cybersecurity measures as required by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 to protect critical financial and information infrastructure from cyberattacks. Continue Reading
Guide to Selected CRS Reports on Congress
New from the Law Librarians’ Society of Washington, D.C. (LLSDC), Selected Congressional Research Service Reports on Congress and its Procedures. This resource also provides numerous links to other sources of CRS reports on the web from government, asssociation, commercial and academic sources. Continue Reading
Additional Iraqi War Resources
The Command Post is a community blog with authors around the world who provide brief, predominently unbiased and continually updated information on a range of war related news and issues. Worth a look! Also, be sure to check-out the National Journal’s Iraq Coverage. Important information updated on this site daily includes: U.S. Military Deaths, U.S.… Continue Reading
GAO Report on Data Mining
Data Mining: Results and Challenges for Government Program Audits and Investigations, by Gregory D. Kutz, director, financial management and assurance, before the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census, House Committee on Government Reform. GAO-03-591T, March 25. Continue Reading
