The Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights (FTCR), a non-profit California advocacy group, is publicizing their purchase of personal data, including social security numbers and home addresses, of high ranking Bush administration officials, as a means of demonstrating the need for stronger privacy legislation. However, states such as California, which recently passed the strongest financial… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: August 2003
Pop-Up Ads Raise Privacy Issues
Cryptome.org has a free link to this informative WSJ article from August 27, “A New Battleground In Web Privacy War: Ads That Can Snoop -Software Programs Track Where Users Go On Net, Then Target Them With Pop-Ups.” Although certainly not a new story, it is nevertheless worth reading as it succinctly addresses privacy, copyright and… Continue Reading
Telecommuting Creates 24/7 Workers
Tethered by a high-tech leash – “Computers mean you can (must?) work anywhere, anytime.” Sound familiar? Continue Reading
Small Business Screening of Potential and Current Employees
From the Utility Consumers’ Action Network/Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, Employment Background Checks: A Guide for Small Business Owners: “This guide is intended to acquaint small business owners with basic information about screening applicants and current employees.” Continue Reading
ACLU Respondes to DOJ Pro Patriot Act Website
PATRIOT Propaganda: Justice Department’s PATRIOT Act Website Creates New Myths About Controversial Law. See also my previous posting on the Preserving Life & Liberty website. Continue Reading
Computer Security Groups Work to Stop Threat of Computer Worms
Sleuths Try to Stay Step Ahead of Online Worms. Computer security and antivirus companies around the world are working to stay one step ahead of viruses that are increasingly impacting corporations, government agencies and home users. These “virus sleuths” are also assisting the FBI to track down and minimize the damage from malicious worms such… Continue Reading
Circumventing Internet Censorship
Designing a protocol to circumvent Internet censorship: “Peacefire has released a new set of instructions for circumventing Internet censorship. These instructions can be used to get around Internet blocking in China, for example, by having a friend outside China follow the instructions to set up a mini-Web-site that users in China can then connect to,… Continue Reading
A Study on the Virtual Law Library
Feasibility and Viability of the Digital Library in a Private Law Firm – “The authors reveal the results of a research study on the feasibility and viability of the digital library. Using information derived from surveys of law librarians, legal publishers, and attorneys, they provide a snapshot of the current state of the digital library… Continue Reading
Interview With Copyright/Security Expert Ed Felten
Princeton University computer science professor, author, security expert, and of course, blogger (his blog is called Freedom to Tinker, Ed Felten warns in this interview of “A collision is happening between creativity and protecting intellectual property.” Continue Reading
EPIC Files Amicus Brief in Supreme Court SS# Case
“EPIC has collaborated with numerous consumer and privacy organizations, legal scholars and technical experts to submit an amicus brief in Doe v. Chao, an important privacy case that will be heard by the Supreme Court later this year. This case concerns the wrongful disclosure of the Social Security Number by a federal agency and whether… Continue Reading
Blogs Find Niche at Regional Newspapers
Bloggers Train Sites on State Governments is an article which highlights several blogs that are published via newspapers in Washington state, Texas and California. Continue Reading
GAO Audit of White House Energy Task Force
Chronology of the GAO’s Attempts to Obtain Information from the National Energy Policy Development Group, August 25, 2003. Energy Task Force: Process Used to Develop the National Energy Policy. GAO-03-894, August 22. Highlights “The General Accounting Office said in a long-awaited report that Vice President Dick Cheney’s unwillingness to cooperate stymied efforts to find out… Continue Reading
