Via Metafilter, news that New York’s Mayor Bloomberg was behind the launch of the newly designed MyNYC.gov Portal. This well crafted site provides updated news banner headlines about issues including public health and transportation, a quick search engine to locate city services and facilities, straight-forward links to the Mayor’s office, agency services, elected officials, live… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Monthly Archives: May 2003
Law Day, U.S.A., 2003
According to this resource, “In 1961, Congress designated May 1 as Law Day, a time for Americans to reflect on the rule of law in a constitutional republic.” I missed the exact date on this one, but nevertheless thought it worth mentioning. Here is the link to Law Day, U.S.A., 2003, By the President of… Continue Reading
Book Review: Librarians, Reference and the Web
Here is a recent review of the Librarian’s Internet Survival Guide: Strategies for the High-Tech Reference Desk by Irene E. McDermott (reference librarian/systems manager at the San Marino Public Library in California). Continue Reading
A Flurry of Google PR
Google: An engine of change; Inside Google; Google CEO Has No Near Term Plans for IPO; and All Eyes on Google. Continue Reading
Students and Industry Respond to Music Piracy
From the May 5 USA Today (reg. req’d), an interesting article provides some background about and carefully crafted “no comments” from the three of the four students who settled file-sharing infringement cases with the RIAA. In related news from the same paper, see also Piracy has its hooks in. This article details the win/lose scenarios… Continue Reading
Advocacy Group Seeks to Block Transfer of European Passenger Data
European Digital Rights (EDRi), a non-profit coalition of privacy/advocacy groups based in Brussels, launched a campaign against the transfer of European travellers’ Passenger Name Records (PNR) to U.S. Customs. See the following related documents: EDRi campaign press release. Full text of Article 29 Data Protection Working Party: Opinion 6/2002 on transmission of Passenger Manifest Information… Continue Reading
CA Assembly Seeks to Protect Internet Users Info
California Assembly Bill 1143, as amended April 30, “would establish new procedures for the production by an Internet service provider or online community host of identifying information regarding a consumer..” The bill is now under consideration by the Committee on Judiciary. Continue Reading
Canadian Privacy Law Impacts E-Commerce
Canadian Privacy Law Deadline Approaching: “Beginning Jan. 1, 2004, all companies that collect, use or disclose personal information about Canadian citizens during the course of commercial activities will have to comply with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.” Continue Reading
FOIA Lawsuit on Intelligence Spending
From Steven Aftergood, May 6 Secrecy News (from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy): “The total amount of intelligence spending for 2002 should be declassified over the objections of the Central Intelligence Agency, a federal court was told May 5 in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit sponsored by the Federation of American Scientists.” See… Continue Reading
Free and Low Cost Legal Services for Texans
“TexasLawHelp.org is a project of the Texas Access to Justice Commission and the Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation, in partnership with participating legal aid organizations.” Users may locate information according to county or zip code, and services are provided on issues that include: civil rights, disability, health, immigration, employment and housing. From the site’s… Continue Reading
FOI Exemption for NSA
From the National Security Archive: “The proposed FY 2004 Defense Authorization Act (S. 747) would throw a cloak of secrecy over valuable National Security Agency (“NSA”) records now released under the Freedom of Information Act, including important historical records on the use of signals intelligence and cryptology in U.S. defense history.” For related information, see… Continue Reading
EPIC Loses Homeland Security FOIA Case
Homeland Security Privacy Suit Dismissed: “U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly earlier this week signed a dismissal agreement between the Justice Department and the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center, which had sought records about the office’s activities.” Continue Reading
