The following Freedom of Information Act decisions were received by the Office of Information and Privacy (DOJ) during the months of April through June 2003:
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Daily Archives: July 2, 2003
Senator Urges FTC to Action on Website Privacy
In a July 1 press release, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) asked the “Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue a consumer advisory alert warning Internet users to carefully read the privacy policies of websites asking for personal information and to develop guidelines to ensure that these privacy policies fully disclose how that data will be used.”… Continue Reading
Courts, Public Records and Privacy
Are Public Court Records Too Public in Cyberspace?: “As state court officials across the nation ponder whether and how to make courthouses Internet-friendly, policymakers from California to New York are shielding many otherwise readily available records from cyberspace.” Resources referenced in the article include: New York State Commission on Public Access to Court Records Reporters… Continue Reading
Profits Prevail as Web Privacy Declines
From a July 1, 2003 Washington Post article: “…marketers and an array of service providers expanding their collection and use of consumers e-mail addresses and other personal information, despite broad assurances to protect individual privacy and honor consumers choices about how much marketing they want to receive.” Continue Reading
New Focus on E-Filing and the Courts
Two new articles on e-filing that address issues of technology standards, e-courts (there are currently 20 accepting such filings), security, and contracting with service providers: E-Filing – Coming to a Court Near You e-Filing and Issues Relating to Electronic Filing Service Providers Continue Reading
USPTO Announces Transition to All Electronic Filings
From the press release: “The U.S. Department of Commerces United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced today that effective June 30, 2003, all newly filed patent applications will be converted to electronic applications and processed electronically. Additionally, over the next 15 months, the USPTO will scan more than a half million pending applications into… Continue Reading
Pentagon’s New Urban Surveillance Project
A new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project involves the deployment of innovative data collection software that would provide law enforcement with the ability to track, monitor and “identify vehicles by size, color, shape and license tag, or drivers and passengers by face,” according to this AP article. The DARPA contracting document for Combat… Continue Reading
New Law Firm Design Emphasizes Cost Cutting and Team Rooms
For those with access to the print or online version of today’s WSJ, see this article, Law Firm Cubicles and Libraries Give Way to Team Rooms, Lounges. Law firm office designs are “scaling back offices, the number of secretarial and paralegal cubicles, libraries, computer-servers and data-storage areas. Meanwhile, they are adding more communal spaces, from… Continue Reading
