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Daily Archives: February 5, 2013

DOJ Memo released by MSNBC: U.S. Can Kill Americans Overseas if they Pose 'Imminent Threat'

By Michael Isikoff National Investigative Correspondent, NBC News

  • “A confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or “an associated force” — even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S. The 16-page memo, a copy of which was obtained by NBC News, provides new details about the legal reasoning behind one of the Obama administration’s most secretive and controversial polices: its dramatically increased use of drone strikes against al-Qaida suspects abroad, including those aimed at American citizens, such as the September 2011 strike in Yemen that killed alleged al-Qaida operatives Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. Both were U.S. citizens who had never been indicted by the U.S. government nor charged with any crimes.
  • Paper – Open Wireless vs. Licensed Spectrum: Evidence from Market Adoption

    “The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is pleased to announce the publication of Open Wireless vs. Licensed Spectrum: Evidence from Market Adoption, authored by Yochai Benkler, and published in the latest issue of the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology [download here]. The paper reviews evidence from eight wireless markets: mobile… Continue Reading

    OCLC Presentation – The Inside Out library: Scale, Learning, Engagement

    “Lorcan Dempsey, OCLC’s Vice President, Research and Chief Strategist, presented these slides in his keynote on 23 January 2013 at the 21st annual BOBCATSSS Conference in Ankara, Turkey. Lorcan’s “The Inside Out library: Scale, Learning, Engagement” slides from this presentation are available for download from the OCLC Research website and for viewing on SlideShare.” Continue Reading

    DOJ Sues Standard & Poor’s for Fraud in Rating Mortgage-Backed Securities in the Years Leading Up to the Financial Crisis

    DOJ news release: “Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the Department of Justice has filed a civil lawsuit against the credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services alleging that S&P engaged in a scheme to defraud investors in structured financial products known as Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities (RMBS) and Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs). The… Continue Reading

    Report – CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition

    Open Society Foundation: “Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Central Intelligence Agency embarked on a highly classified program of secret detention and extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects. The program was designed to place detainee interrogations beyond the reach of law. Suspected terrorists were seized and secretly flown across national borders to be… Continue Reading

    America's Call For Higher Education Redesign

    America’s Call For Higher Education Redesign, The 2012 Lumina Foundation Study of the American Public’s Opinion on Higher Education, January 2013. SNAPSHOT OF FINDINGS: “Nearly all Americans (97%) say having a degree or certificate beyond high school is at least somewhat important. Nearly all Americans (97%) say having a degree or certificate beyond high school… Continue Reading

    Description of Civil Liberties and Privacy Protections in updated NCTC Guidelines

    Description of Civil Liberties and Privacy Protections in the updated NCTC Guidelines, January 2013, Office of the Director of National Intelligence. “In March, 2012, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the Attorney General, and the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) approved the updated Guidelines for Access, Retention, Use, and Dissemination by the National… Continue Reading

    Integration of Drones into Domestic Airspace: Selected Legal Issues

    Integration of Drones into Domestic Airspace: Selected Legal Issues. Alissa M. Dolan, Legislative Attorney – Richard M. Thompson II, Legislative Attorney, January 30, 2013 “Under the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, P.L. 112-95, Congress has tasked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with integrating unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), sometimes referred to as unmanned aerial… Continue Reading