“The European Union has adopted strict new guidelines limiting the use of body scanners at EU airports. Under the new guidelines, European Union member states may only deploy airport body scanners if they comply with new regulations that protect health, privacy, and fundamental rights. The European Commission has also prohibited any devices that store, record, or transfer images of travelers as well as devices that display an image of the naked human body. As a result, backscatter x-ray devices are now effectively prohibited in airports in the European Union. The European Commission has also made clear that passengers may not be required to go through body scanners, following the conclusion reached by the federal appellate court in the United States in the EPIC v. DHS case, which held that passengers have a legal right to opt-out of body scanners. The body scanners have not done well during trials in Europe. Most recently a test in Germany found that the devices were ineffective. For more information, see EPIC: Whole Body Imaging Technology and EPIC: EPIC v. DHS (Suspension of the Body Scanner Program).”
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Daily Archives: November 15, 2011
TRAC: Criminal Prosecutions for Financial Institution Fraud Continue to Fall
“Federal criminal prosecutions for financial institution fraud have continued their downward slide despite the financial troubles reported in this sector. TRAC’s analysis of timely Justice Department data show that during the first eleven months of FY 2011 the government reported 1,251 new prosecutions were filed. If this activity continues at the same pace, the annual… Continue Reading
Mover Rate Reaches Record Low, Census Bureau Reports
News release: “The percentage of people who changed residences between 2010 and 2011 – 11.6 percent – was the lowest recorded rate since the Current Population Survey began collecting statistics on the movement of people in the United States in 1948, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. The rate, which was 20.2 percent in 1985,… Continue Reading
New Analysis Quantifies Economic Impact of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in Ten States
News release: “In a new report, The Economic Impacts of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative on Ten Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States, Analysis Group researchers have quantified the economic benefits from implementation of a multistate regional greenhouse gas initiative. The study, which will be the focus of an article in The Electricity Journal (December 2011), examines… Continue Reading
Policies for Increasing Economic Growth and Employment in 2012 and 2013
Testimony, Congressional Budget Office, Statement of Douglas W. Elmendorf, Director – Policies for Increasing Economic Growth and Employment in 2012 and 2013, before the Committee on the Budget, United States Senate, November 15, 2011 “CBO expects real GDP to grow in the vicinity of 1½ percent this calendar year (as measured by the change between… Continue Reading
Annual Report to Congress Regarding Financial Status of FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund FY2011
Annual Report to Congress Regarding the Financial Status of the FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund Fiscal Year 2011, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, November 15, 2011 “The findings of independent actuarial reviews performed at the close of FY 2011 indicate that the MMI Fund remains actuarially sound, though there continue to be significant… Continue Reading
National Archives Publishes National Registry of Controlled Unclassified Information
News release: “President Obama signed Executive Order 13556, “Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI),” and designated the National Archives and Records Administration as the Executive Agent “to implement this order and oversee agency actions to ensure compliance with this order.” On November 4, 2011, as required by this Executive Order, the National Archives Controlled Unclassified Information Office… Continue Reading
Google – Search using your terms, verbatim
Official Google Blog: “Behind the simplicity of Google search is a complex set of algorithms that expands and improves the query youve typed to find the best results. Automatic spelling correction ([vynal] to vinyl) and substituting synonyms (matching [pictures] to photos) are just two examples of the improvements we make…weve received a lot of requests… Continue Reading
ABA Directory for Disability Rights
ABA Directory for Disability Rights: “This first of its kind directory helps lawyers find information regarding disability rights and disability law from state and local associations across the U.S.” Continue Reading
Final Report – Defense Science Board Task Force on Trends and Implications of Climate Change on National and International Security
Trends and Implications of Climate Change for National and International Security, November 2011 “This report begins with an overview of the impacts of climate change over recent decades while recognizing uncertainty about the pace of future changes. It examines the political consequences of climate change as it relates to national and international security, with special… Continue Reading
Pew – How Mainstream Media Outlets Use Twitter
How Mainstream Media Outlets Use Twitter Content Analysis Shows an Evolving Relationship – November 14, 2011 “For nearly every news organization, Twitter has become a regular part of the daily news outreach. But there are questions about how those organizations actually use the technology: How often do they tweet? What kind of news do they… Continue Reading
