Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: October 13, 2006

Committee Report Finds Data Breaches Throughout Federal Government

Press release: “In a report released today, Reps. Davis and Waxman summarize information provided to the Committee by 19 federal departments and agencies regarding the loss or compromise of personal information since January 2003. The report finds that every agency has experienced at least one such breach and that the agencies do not always know what information has been lost or how many individuals could be affected.”
Key Conclusions:

  • 1. Data loss is a government-wide occurrence.
  • 2. Agencies do not always know what has been lost.
  • 3. Physical security of data is essential.
  • 4. Contractors are responsible for many of the reported breaches.
  • October 13, 2006 – Staff Report Agency Data Breaches Since January 1, 2003
  • Agency Response Letters Part One
  • Agency Response Letters Part Two
  • Related postings on ID theft and cybercrime
  • OMB issued a memorandum of Recommendations for Identity Theft Related Data Breach Notification, from Clay Johnson, Deputy Director for Management, September 22, 2006
  • Study Examines Midwest Election Coverage

    Joyce Foundation News press release, Midwest Local TV Newscasts Average 36 Seconds of Election Coverage: “In the month following the traditional Labor Day kickoff of the 2006 election campaign season, television stations in nine Midwest markets devoted an average of 36 seconds to election coverage during the typical 30-minute local news broadcast, a new analysis… Continue Reading

    BJS Report on Role of Law Enforcement in Public Health Emergencies

    “This Bureau of Justice Assistance report describes the role of law enforcement during public health emergencies, mass vaccinations, voluntary restrictions, and quarantines; securing the perimeter of contaminated areas and securing health care facilities; controlling crowds; investigating scenes of suspected biological terrorism; and protecting national stockpiles of vaccines or other medicines.” Role of Law Enforcement in… Continue Reading

    PEER Reports EPA Scientists Losing Access to Research Sources

    Follow up to previous postings on closures of EPA libraries around the country, this October 9, 2006 press release: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sharply reducing the number of technical journals and environmental publications to which its employees will have online access, according to agency e-mails released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility… Continue Reading

    Committee on Homeland Security Releases Report on Post-9/11 Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

    Press release, October 12, 2006: “U.S. Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, announced the release of the Committee’s report on post-9/11 funding to New York City. The report cites instances of waste, fraud, and abuse from the $20 billion in federal assistance sent to New York following September 11,… Continue Reading

    Draft Paper, Participatory Networks: The Library as Conversation

    Participatory Networks: The Library as Conversation, Public DRAFT September 21, 2006, R. David Lankes, Joanne Silverstein. Produced for the American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy. Information Institute of Syracuse. Syracuse University’s school of Information Studies. There are three ways to provide comments on the public draft: Read and E-Mail; Read and Join the… Continue Reading

    Federal Prosecution of Human Trafficking, 2001-2005

    Federal Prosecution of Human Trafficking, 2001-2005, 10/06. “Presents Federal criminal case processing statistics on peonage and slavery statutes in the U.S. criminal code with a focus on human trafficking offenses created by Congress in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. NCJ 215248” Acrobat file | ASCII file| Spreadsheets (zip format 3K) Continue Reading