ASCAP news release: “The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York today made public a decision in the proceeding to determine reasonable license fees to be paid to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) by AOL (Time Warner Inc., RealNetworks Inc. and Yahoo! Inc. for their online performance… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Monthly Archives: May 2008
CDT Testimony: DHS, State Using Insecure RFID Technology
Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT): “The long-range or “vicinity” Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology chosen by the Departments of Homeland Security and State for government-issued ID documents poses serious risks to personal privacy and security, CDT testified today before a Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee. CDT recommended that DHS and State abandon the technology, which… Continue Reading
DOD OIG Report : DOD National Drug Control Program Activities
D-2008-085 Independent Auditor’s Report on the FY 2007 Performance Summary Report for DoD National Drug Control Program Activities, May 2, 2008. “In FY 2007, the DoD continued to provide significant support to US and partner nation drug law enforcement agencies in the areas of training, communications support, infrastructure, intelligence, transportation, equipment, command and control, as… Continue Reading
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol Entered into Force 3 May 2008
News release: “The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has warmly welcomed the news that Ecuador on Thursday became the 20th country to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with the result that the Convention and its Optional Protocol will now come into force one month later, on 3… Continue Reading
Report on Competitive Sourcing Results Fiscal Year 2007
Report on Competitive Sourcing Results Fiscal Year 2007, May 2008 Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget: “This report discusses the use of competitive sourcing (i.e., public-private competition) in FY 2007. The report also analyzes trends over the five-year period that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has prepared annual reports… Continue Reading
Changes to the Old Bailey Website in April 2008
“The addition of the 100,000 trial accounts published between 1834 and 1913 represents the single biggest change to this website. We have, however, taken advantage of the opportunity to update many of the technical and historical features of the website and to introduce a new, improved overall design…The old website, last updated in November 2007,… Continue Reading
Geography Matters: Child Well-Being in the States
News release: “The states of Louisiana and Vermont may be part of the same nation, but they are worlds apart when it comes to the well-being of children living within their borders. Across the United States, where a child is born and raised can make a shockingly large difference to their chances of getting and… Continue Reading
Guide to Accessing Comprehensive Google Help Files
“Did you ever want to get a help file for Gmail, Google Docs or for Google Desktop so you can print it or save it on your computer? All Google services have help centers that include information about features, tutorials, troubleshooting guides, but you need to find the information in a complicated hierarchy of topics… Continue Reading
Charting An Average Consumer's Spending
New York Times chart and data – All of Inflations Little Parts: “Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics gathers 84,000 prices in about 200 categories like gasoline, bananas, dresses and garbage collection to form the Consumer Price Index, one measure of inflation. Its among the statistics that the Federal Reserve considered when… Continue Reading
Should there be a Freedom of Information Act for the EU?
European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) news release: “The European Commission is publishing amendments to Regulation 1049/2001. The new regulation is an exercise more in clarification and codification, rather than more ambitious reform towards genuine freedom of information. The European Parliament and Council will need to look carefully at whether the adjustments reflect a balance between… Continue Reading
2007 OMB Watch Annual Report
“Throughout 2007, OMB Watch diligently exposed assaults on public protections and fought for greater government accountability and performance. Our 2007 Annual Report offers you some highlights from the past year.” “OMB Watch, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, was formed in 1983 to lift the veil of secrecy shrouding the White House Office of Management… Continue Reading
CQ: Hundreds of Laptops Missing at State Department, Audit Finds
Jeff Stein, CQ National Security Editor – excerpt: “Hundreds of employee laptops are unaccounted for at the U.S. Department of State, which conducts delicate, often secret, diplomatic relations with foreign countries, an internal audit has found. As many as 400 of the unaccounted for laptops belong to the departments Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, according to officials… Continue Reading
