“The stories in our e-book on Ms. Yellen — based on decades of Wall Street Journal reporting about the economy, the central bank and national policy makers — form the first in-depth portrait of the woman with the levers of the global financial system at her fingertips.” To download the full e-book for free, go… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Monthly Archives: March 2014
New Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Hearing
Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board – “Committed to the protection of civil liberties and privacy in the nation’s efforts against terrorism” 19 March Hearing – Agenda, Witness Testimony Now Available See also ComputerWorld: “A U.S. National Security Agency surveillance program focused on overseas telephone and email communications is targeted and narrow, and not the bulk collection… Continue Reading
White House Launches Climate Data Initiative
News release: “…we are launching the Climate Data Initiative, an ambitious new effort bringing together extensive open government data and design competitions with commitments from the private and philanthropic sectors to develop data-driven planning and resilience tools for local communities. This effort will help give communities across America the information and tools they need to… Continue Reading
Analysis: The FCC’s Remand Docket sets right legal and policy direction to preserve Open Internet
“The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) released a report today analyzing the decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to rewrite its Open Internet Order under the Section 706 authority established in recent ruling of the United States Court of Appeals for the District Of Columbia Circuit. Applying principles derived from a number of well-known… Continue Reading
EPIC – Google Admits to Data-Mining Student Emails
“In a sworn statement filed with a federal court, Google has admitted to scanning student emails to serve students targeted advertisements. Although Google does not display ads in Apps for Education, Google “does scan [student] email” to “compile keywords for advertising” on Google sites. Google has gained access to student emails pursuant to the Education Department’s recently revised… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement
News release: “Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in January indicates that growth in economic activity slowed during the winter months, in part reflecting adverse weather conditions. Labor market indicators were mixed but on balance showed further improvement. The unemployment rate, however, remains elevated. Household spending and business fixed investment continued to… Continue Reading
Regulatory & Risk Management Burden Grows Heavier for U.S. Banks and Credit Unions
“U.S. banks and credit unions are carrying a much heavier regulatory and risk management burden than they were a year ago. That’s according to the results of the latest Regulatory & Risk Management Indicator for the U.S. banking industry issued today by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, a comprehensive provider of risk management, compliance, finance and audit solutions and… Continue Reading
EBRI’s 2014 Retirement Confidence Survey: Confidence Rebounds—for Those With Retirement Plans
March 2014 EBRI Issue Brief #397 Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2014. Executive Summary “The percentage of workers confident about having enough money for a comfortable retirement, at record lows between 2009 and 2013, increased in 2014. Eighteen percent are now very confident (up from 13 percent in 2013), while 37 percent are somewhat confident. Twenty-four percent are… Continue Reading
GAO Report – Whistleblower Protection Program
WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION PROGRAM: Opportunities Exist for OSHA and DOT to Strengthen Collaborative Mechanisms, GAO-14-286: Published: Mar 19, 2014. Publicly Released: Mar 19, 2014: ” The number of transportation-related whistleblower claims filed with OSHA has increased in the last 6 years—from 508 in fiscal year 2008 to 821 in fiscal year 2013—and GAO’s interviews with transportation industry stakeholders identified… Continue Reading
Are Prior User Rights Good for Software?
Vetter, Greg R., Are Prior User Rights Good for Software? (March 17, 2014). U of Houston Law Center No. 2014-W-1. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2410689 “The America Invents Act (“AIA”) gave modern patent law in the United States a general prior user rights defense. The patent right is enforced via infringement litigation, but enterprises sometimes obtain… Continue Reading
Federal Drug Prosecutions Fall to Lowest Level in Over 13 Years
Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “The monthly count of federal prosecutions for narcotics/drugs offenses has reached its lowest level since May 2000. The latest available data from the Justice Department show there were 1,487 new prosecutions in this category in January 2014, down 7.8 percent from the previous month and down 11.5 percent from the year before.… Continue Reading
The Financial Capability of Young Adults – A Generational View
“An examination of data from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation’s National Financial Capability Study (State-by-State Survey) found that millennials are struggling financially. In particular, they exhibit a number of problematic financial behaviors, display low levels of financial literacy and express concerns about their debt. Within the millennial generation, females and minorities display signs of lower financial capability relative to males… Continue Reading
