Follow up to previous postings on the Domestic Surveillance Program, via EFF, Kevin Bankston: “Today, Chief Judge Vaughn Walker of the federal district court in San Francisco found that the government illegally wiretapped an Islamic charity’s phone calls in 2004, granting summary judgment for the plaintiffs in Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation v. Obama. The court held the government liable for violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Today’s order is the first decision since ACLU v. NSA to hold that warrantless wiretapping by the National Security Agency was illegal. The decision in ACLU v. NSA was overturned on other grounds in 2007, and the focus of the government’s litigation strategy since then has been to avoid having any court rule on the merits of the issue. The court’s thorough decision is a strong rebuke to the government’s argument that only the Executive Branch may determine if a case against the government can proceed in the courts, by invoking state secrets. The Obama Administration adopted this “state secrets privilege” theory from the Bush Administration’s legal positions in this and other warrantless wiretapping cases.”
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Monthly Archives: March 2010
Report – The One-Way-Mirror Society: Privacy Implications of the New Digital Signage Networks
World Privacy Forum: “New forms of sophisticated digital signage networks are being deployed widely by retailers and others in both public and private spaces. From simple people-counting sensors mounted on doorways to sophisticated facial recognition cameras mounted in flat video screens and end-cap displays, digital signage technologies are gathering increasing amounts of detailed information about… Continue Reading
Five EPA Region 9 Metro Area Cities Rank Among Top 25 in Nation for Most Energy Efficient Buildings
News release: “US EPA released a list of U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest number of energy efficient buildings that earned EPAs Energy Star in 2009. The list is headed by Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Houston, Lakeland, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and New York. Five of the cities ranked on the list… Continue Reading
TRAC Posts Annual Report on IRS
News release: “The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) today posted the latest edition of its annual report on the operations of the Internal Revenue Service. A special feature of this year’s report is TRAC’s Taxpayer Returns app, a sophisticated new research application that allows all Americans to easily examine the kinds of income flowing to… Continue Reading
Work-Life Balance and the Economics of Workplace Flexibility
Executive Office of the President, Council of Economic Advisers: Work-Life Balance and the Economics of Workplace Flexibility, March 2010. “American society has changed dramatically over the past half century. Women have entered the labor force in growing numbers and families have increasingly relied on more than one earner to make ends meet. And yet, children… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: Defense Budget, Defense Health Care, DOJ Appropriations, SEC's Internal Controls, Medicare Recovery Audit Contracting, Workforce Planning
Defense Budget: Fourth Quarter Obligation Rates and Contract Obligations for Fiscal Years 2006-09, GAO-10-527R, March 31, 2010 Defense Health Care: 2008 Access to Care Surveys Indicate Some Problems, but Beneficiary Satisfaction Is Similar to Other Health Plans, GAO-10-402, March 31, 2010 Final Review of Expenses from the Department of Justice Permanent Indefinite Appropriation Covering the… Continue Reading
Pew: The Impact of the Internet on Institutions in the Future
The Impact of the Internet on Institutions in the Future, Janna Quitney Anderson, Elon University, Lee Rainie, Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life Project, March 31, 2010: “Technology experts and stakeholders say the internet will drive more change in businesses and government agencies by 2020, making them more responsive and efficient. But there are… Continue Reading
PC Magazine: The Best Free Software of 2010
“Every year PCMag puts together a fresh look at the Best Free Software. We check the previous year’s picks to make sure they’ve still got the chops (and the $0 price tag) and cull through other options that have come our way. We concentrate on productivity apps and utilities for Windows users, but make note… Continue Reading
Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Announces Details for Next Public Hearing
News release: The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) announced details for the Commissions next public hearing, Subprime Lending and Securitization and Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) to be held April 7 through April 9, 2010. WSJ – Greenspan to Testify on Subprime Mess: “Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan highlights the list of witnesses, as expected. Hell… Continue Reading
Transportation Secretary Announces Major Investigations to Resolve Issue of Sudden Acceleration
News release: “U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced two major investigations designed to answer questions surrounding the issue of unintended vehicle acceleration. The prestigious National Academy of Sciences an independent body using top scientific experts – will examine the broad subject of unintended acceleration and electronic vehicle controls across the entire automotive industry.… Continue Reading
Advocacy Groups, Companies Call for an Update of the Privacy Framework for Law Enforcement Access to Digital Information
News release: “A broad coalition of privacy groups, think tanks, technology companies and academics today issued principles for updating the key federal law that defines the rules for government access to email and private files stored in the Internet cloud. The coalition cited the need to preserve traditional privacy rights in the face of technological… Continue Reading
New Jersey Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Employee Email Privacy
EPIC: “The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in favor of a female employee whose employer read emails that she sent while using Yahoo Mail on a company-owned laptop. The employee, Marina Stengart, had exchanged emails with her attorney regarding a possible discrimination lawsuit against the employer. The employer then pulled the emails off of the… Continue Reading
