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Monthly Archives: September 2003

Former Attorney General Bashes Librarians on Today Show

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On the NBC Today show this morning, former Attorney General Edwin Meese apparently made the following statement in reference to the Patriot Act: “librarians are more interested in pushing p****graphy than fighting terrorism.”

  • The American Library Association (ALA) President Carla Hayden responded as follows: “Similar to our current Attorney General, Mr. Meese chose to malign librarians rather than address the real and substantive concerns of millions of Americans and members of Congress. Whether or not the government is using the expanded powers provided by the USA PATRIOT Act in libraries, we must ask: Should the government have the power to obtain Americans’ reading and other personal records without showing probable cause?”

    • Update on the Do Not Call Registry

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    From the FTC website today: “You can still put your number on the national registry at www.donotcall.gov. Pending court action, the FTC cannot enforce the requirement for telemarketers to consult the list. Most telemarketers, however, also are subject to the Federal Communication Commission’s do not call rule, which takes effect October 1, 2003. The FCC… Continue Reading

    OMB to Increase Privacy Requirements for E-Gov Databases

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    Today the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a press release, Bush Administration Ramps-Up Federal E-Government Requirements, to accompany this OMB Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002. “The Administration is committed to protecting the privacy of the American people. This guidance document addresses privacy protections when Americans interact… Continue Reading

    More Opposition to CAPPS II

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    Barr Submits Formal Objections to Passenger Profiling System: “Former Congressman Bob Barr today filed a formal objection to the government’s proposed passenger profiling system, commonly known by its acronym, “CAPPS II” (Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-screening System)…Barr…submitted six pages of reasons why the proposed system violated provisions of the U.S. Constitution, including citizens’ right to privacy.”… Continue Reading

    Evaluating Health Websites

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    From Consumer WebWatch, A Report on the Evaluation of Criteria Sets for Assessing Health Web Sites, published September 30, 2003. See also Discussions of Health Web Sites in Medical and Popular Media, from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. Continue Reading

    National Security Secrets

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    From Steven Aftergood at the Project on Government Secrecy: “The text of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982, which prohibits the identification of “covert agents,” is available here.” From Section 421: “Whoever, having or having had authorized access to classified information that identifies a covert agent, intentionally discloses any information identifying such covert agent… Continue Reading

    Survey on Freedom of Information Laws Around the World

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    Updated September 28, the freedominfo.org Global Survey – Freedom of Information and Access to Government Records Around the World (pdf, 90 pages). “David Banisar of freedominfo.org provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive summary of the state of access to information in more than 50 countries, examining existing laws and prevailing practice, with links to relevant… Continue Reading

    Update on CAPPS II and Collection of “Real” Passenger Data

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    According to Admiral James M. Loy, Administrator, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), commenting on CAPPS II at briefing in Washington, D.C. on September 26, “We do need to get on with real testing of real data…” From dc.internet.com, further information on Loy’s comments, which indicate that “if no airlines voluntarily provide data for a 180-day testing… Continue Reading