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Daily Archives: October 22, 2010

EPIC: Google Ends Secret Wifi Data Gathering

EPIC: “Following numerous protests around the world, Google has ended its illegal collection of wifi data transmissions. The company, which originally claimed it was not even collecting wifi data, was forced to admit that the practice has been ongoing for three years in more than thirty countries, following an independent investigation initiated by European privacy officials. Investigations are still underway to determine the extent of Google’s liability. EPIC wrote to the FCC earlier this year, pointing out that the practice violated US wiretap laws.”

  • EPIC – Investigations of Google Street View
  • Official Google Blog: “Creating stronger privacy controls inside Google: “In May we announced that we had mistakenly collected unencrypted WiFi payload data (information sent over networks) using our Street View cars. We work hard at Google to earn your trust, and we’re acutely aware that we failed badly here. So we’ve spent the past several months looking at how to strengthen our internal privacy and security practices, as well as talking to external regulators globally about possible improvements to our policies.”

New GAO Reports: FAA, Respite Care, Servicemember Reemployment

Federal Aviation Administration: Agency Is Taking Steps to Plan for and Train Its Technician Workforce, but a More Strategic Approach Is Warranted, GAO-11-91, October 22, 2010 Respite Care: Grants and Cooperative Agreements Awarded to Implement the Lifespan Respite Care Act, GAO-11-28R, October 22, 2010 Servicemember Reemployment: Agencies Are Generally Timely in Processing Redress Complaints, but… Continue Reading

CBO's 2010 Long-Term Projections for Social Security: Additional Information

CBO’s 2010 Long-Term Projections for Social Security, October 2010: “Social Security is the federal government’s largest single program. About 54 million people currently receive Social Security benefits. About 69 percent are retired workers, their spouses, and children and another 12 percent are survivors of deceased workers; all of those beneficiaries receive payments through Old-Age and… Continue Reading

CBO: Economic Effects of the March Health Legislation

CBO – Economic Effects of the March Health Legislation, Presentation at the Schaeffer Center of the University of Southern California, October 22, 2010 “Total spending on health care now accounts for about 15 percent of GDP, and CBO projects that it will represent more than 25 percent by 2035. Therefore, changes in the performance of… Continue Reading

ARL 2030 Scenarios: A User’s Guide for Research Libraries

News release: “The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has released The ARL 2030 Scenarios: A User’s Guide for Research Libraries. The package, which contains the “ARL 2030 Scenario Set” and an accompanying user’s guide, is the product of a project to promote visioning and scanning activities among research libraries. ARL’s “Envisioning Research Library Futures: A… Continue Reading

Federal Reserve Beige Book, October 20, 2010

Full Report – Beige Book, October 20, 2010 – Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, and link to reports by Districts: “Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts suggest that, on balance, national economic activity continued to rise, albeit at a modest pace, during the reporting period from September to… Continue Reading