On March 21, I posted this entry, Executive Order on National Security Info to be Rescinded. On March 25, the President issued Executive Order 12958, Amended, Classified National Security Information. “…the national defense has required that certain information be maintained in confidence in order to protect our citizens, our democratic institutions, our homeland security, and… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2003
The War, Government Contracts and the Money Trail
Iraq rebuilding contracts awarded: “The first contracts for rebuilding post-war Iraq have been awarded, and Vice President Dick Cheney’s old employer, Halliburton Co., is one of the early winners…President Bush Tuesday asked Congress for $489.3 million to cover the cost of repairing damage to Iraq’s oil facilities, much or all of which could go to… Continue Reading
USPTO Proposes Electronic Image Management System
This United States Patent and Trademark Office proposed rulemaking seeks to implement a “beginning-to-end electronic processing of patent applications.” The use of paper in the application process will be replaced by an imaging system to scan all documents and produce digital image files. Continue Reading
Guide to International Law and Iraq
From the Boston University School of Law Library, via the Big Ear, Links and citations to articles and reports related to international law and the crisis in Iraq. Continue Reading
Quick Reviews of Legal Blogs
Jim Calloway offers brief reviews and recommendations for 15 legal blogs, including beSpacific, in this article, Of Blogs, Bloggers and Blawgs. Continue Reading
House Cmte. Hearing on Data Mining
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… Continue Reading
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
