Press release this evening from Rep. Bernie Sanders: “Congressman Sanders today led a tri-partisan coalition in restoring Americans’ constitutionally guaranteed right to read and access information without governmental intrusion or monitoring. With 199 Democrats, 38 Republicans and one Independent (Sanders) voting in support, the House passed Congressman Sanders legislation to amend Section 215 of the Patriot Act in order to keep the federal government from accessing Americans’ reading records without a traditional search warrant…Sanders amendment was passed as part of the FY06 Science, State, Justice Appropriations bill and will eliminate Justice Department funding for bookstore and library searches under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Amendment cosponsors include Rep. Butch Otter (R-ID), Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Rep. Tom Udall (D-CO).”
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Daily Archives: June 15, 2005
Is the Federal Government Doing Enough to Secure Chemical Facilities
S. Hrg. 109-175 — Is the Federal Government Doing Enough to Secure Chemical Facilities and is More Authority Needed?, June 15, 2005. Continue Reading
Restrictions on Sale of Personal Data Opposed by PIs
From the Washington Post (reg. req’d), Private Eyes Fear Limits On Information Access Continue Reading
Hearing on Identity Theft
On Thursday, June 16, 2005, the Senate Commerce Committee held a Full Committee hearing to examine federal legislative solutions to data breach and identity theft. Note that Opening Remarks by five Senators are available in HTML, and the testimony from five FTC Commissioners and the Vermont Attorney General are available in PDF [Link] Continue Reading
National Survey Report Consumer Views on Spyware and Identity Theft
From the Cyber Security Industry Alliance press release on the new survey: “More than 90 percent of voters see identity theft and spyware as serious problems with 71 percent believing new laws from Congress are required to protect consumer security. Today, CSIA released the results of a nationwide survey of voters dedicated to Internet safety… Continue Reading
NY AG Lawsuit Over Distribution of Spyware Settled
As a follow-up to my previous posting, NY AG Sues Net Marketer For Installing Spyware on Millions of PCs, see this press release dated June 14, 2005: “Intermix Media, Inc. reported today that it has reached an agreement in principle with the Internet Bureau of the Office of the New York State Attorney General which… Continue Reading
FOIA Request Yields Gov. Docs on E-Voting Standards
“Documents obtained by EPIC under the Freedom of Information Act reveal the complete draft standards for voting technology. The standards, which were developed by a technical committee for the Election Assistance Commission, could determine how votes will be tabulated in future elections. Other documents obtained by EPIC reveal vendor attempts to influence the development of… Continue Reading
Civil Liberties Groups Submit Amicus Brief on Listserv Membership Protection Issue
“EPIC joined eight civil liberties organizations to submit a “friend of the court” brief (38 pages, PDF) in Forensic Advisors v. Matrixx Initiatives, a case before the Maryland Court of Special Appeals in which a pharmaceutical company is attempting to force a newsletter publisher to disclose his subscriber list. The company wants to use the… Continue Reading
