Social Security Opened Its Files for 9/11 Inquiry: “The Social Security Administration has relaxed its privacy restrictions and searched thousands of its files at the request of the F.B.I. as part of terrorism investigations since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, newly disclosed records and interviews show.” From EPIC: “Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney has recommended (2 pages,… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: June 2005
GAO Report Highlights RFID Security and Privacy Related Issues
Information Security: Key Considerations Related to Federal Implementation of Radio Frequency Identification Technology GAO-05-849T, June 22, 2005. Highlights. “Radio frequency identification (RFID) is an automated data-capture technology that can be used to electronically identify, track, and store information contained on a tag that is attached to or embedded in an object, such as a product,… Continue Reading
Lugar Releases New Report on WMD Threats and Responses
Press release: “During the next ten years the world faces a 29 percent chance of a nuclear attack and the prospect of four new nations being added to the nuclear weapons club, according to a new survey of non-proliferation and national security experts compile by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Dick Lugar. Over the same… Continue Reading
2005 TechnoLawyer @ Awards Announced
Thanks to all the readers whose support resulted in a Finalist award for beSpacific in the category of Favorite Practice Area Blog. Continue Reading
Latest Round of Data Breaches Intensifies Consumer Focus on ID Theft
From CNN Money, ID data breaches: as rampant as it seems documents the circumstances of the most recently reported incident of hacking, called skimming, that involved the illegal acquisition and storage of credit card data, the exact impact of which still has been not fully disclosed apparently due to the ongoing investigation. Related references: Personal… Continue Reading
OCLC’s Data Mining Research Area
OCLC Data Mining Projects: “…Internet giants such as Amazon and Google provide valuable lessons on the importance of squeezing the full value from available data. Whether in the form of book recommendations, search result rankings, targeted advertising, or collection views (e.g., Google Scholar), the “Amazoogle” companies make a concerted effort to release as much value… Continue Reading
Despite Congressional Mandate, Air Passenger Data Collection Continued
AP reports that the TSA continued to purchase and aggregate air passenger data despite specific direction from Congress not to do so. See also: March 28, 2005 GAO report, Secure Flight Development and Testing Underway, But Risks Should be Managed as System is Futher Developed Transportation Security Administration Notices: Privacy Act, System of Records, 05-12405… Continue Reading
Hearing and Report Examine U.S. Management of Iraqi Funds
Press release, Tuesday, June 21, 2005 — “At the first congressional hearing on the Development Fund for Iraq, Rep. Waxman releases a report on the U.S. mismangement of Iraqi funds. The report details the billions in cash transferred from the Federal Reserve Bank to U.S. officials in Iraq, the lack of financial controls in Iraq,… Continue Reading
Bill Would Establish Independent Commission to Investigate Detainee Abuses
Press release: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 – “Rep. Waxman, Democratic Leader Pelosi, and other senior Democrats announced they will introduce legislation to establish an independent Comission to investigate abuses of detainees in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, or any operation within the Global War on Terrorism.” Bill Summary The Bill, To establish… Continue Reading
ACLU Report Examines Restrictions on Scientific Research and Publication
Press release: “The American Civil Liberties Union released a report today examining government policies and practices that have hampered academic freedom and scientific inquiry since September 11, 2001.” Science Under Siege: The Bush Administration’s Assault on Academic Freedom and Scientific Inquiry (42 pages, PDF) Science Under Siege Executive Summary (PDF) Related references: Leading Scientists Issue… Continue Reading
New Engine Crawls Deep Web in Search of Health Data
Press release today: “Mamma.com Inc….today announced the beta release of its innovative Health Search… [the] technology does more than aggregate results from various content providers [WebMD, MedLine Plus, HealthAtoZ, MayClinic.com, MedicineNet.com, NHSDirect Online] for medical information; we crawl deep into the websites of certain handpicked, trusted, medical websites to extract and format results in a… Continue Reading
Article Addresses Reclaiming Gov. Docs Removed From Public Access Websites
Mart, Susan Nevelow, Let the People Know the Facts: Can Government Information Removed from the Internet be Reclaimed? (June 1, 2005). “This article examines the legal bases of the public’s right to access government information, and examines and analyzes the types of information that have recently been removed from the Internet and the rationales given… Continue Reading
