EPIC – “According to reports, President Obama is set to issue an executive order on drone privacy. The order would call for the development of voluntary best practices for the commercial use of drones. Senator Markey and Representative Welch immediately responded to the reports with a letter to the President urging “strong, enforceable rules – not voluntary best… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: July 2014
Insecticides Similar to Nicotine Widespread in Midwest
“Insecticides similar to nicotine, known as neonicotinoids, were found commonly in streams throughout the Midwest, according to a new USGS study. This is the first broad-scale investigation of neonicotinoid insecticides in the Midwestern United States and one of the first conducted within the United States. Effective in killing a broad range of insect pests, use of neonicotinoid… Continue Reading
Recent accident highlights how state fracking laws protect corporate trade secrets over public safety
Mariah Blake – Mother Jones: “On the morning of June 28, a fire broke out at a Halliburton fracking site in Monroe County, Ohio. As flames engulfed the area, trucks began exploding and thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals spilled into a tributary of the Ohio River, which supplies drinking water for millions of residents.… Continue Reading
FCC to ISPs: Inaccurate Disclosures Violate Transparency Rule
“Providers of broadband Internet access services must disclose accurate information about their service offerings and make this information accessible to the public. This requirement, known as the Open Internet Transparency Rule, has been in full force and effect since 2011. The Transparency Rule ensures that consumers have access to information that helps them make informed… Continue Reading
The Web of Wealth: Resiliency and Opportunity or Driver of Inequality?
The Web of Wealth: Resiliency and Opportunity or Driver of Inequality? Hannah Thomas, Tatjana Meschede, Alexis Mann, Janet Boguslaw, and Thomas Shapiro. July 2014. Institute on Assets and Social Policy (Brandeis University) “Families often help each other out financially. A brother lends a few hundred dollars to cover a late household bill. A grandparent puts $1,000 away… Continue Reading
EFF Publishes New Whitepaper on the Broken Penalty System
EFF – “Today, the House Judiciary Committee [held] a hearing on “remedies” in copyright law—that is, the penalties, injunctions, and other means of challenging and penalizing alleged infringement. This is hugely important: fixing copyright’s remedy provisions (like excessive, unpredictable monetary penalties and government seizures of domain names) is key to ensuring that copyright does its job—helping… Continue Reading
UK Independent – NSA reportedly tracking any internet users who research privacy software online
James Vincent – “Any internet users who use or even read about privacy services online will be targeted for surveillance by the NSA, according to a new report from German broadcaster ARD. According to leaked source-code of the US spy agency’s ‘XKeyscore’ software, individuals who search for information about anonymising services such as Tor have their IP… Continue Reading
U.S. petroleum refineries running at record levels
“U.S. refineries have been processing record volumes of oil recently. Refinery inputs hit a record-high 16.8 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in each of the past two weeks, exceeding the previous record from summer 2005. Refineries in the Midwest and Gulf Coast in particular pushed the total U.S. input volume upward, as these refiners’ access… Continue Reading
OECD releases full version of global standard for automatic exchange of information
“Taking an important step towards greater transparency and putting an end to banking secrecy in tax matters, the OECD today released the full version of a new global standard for the exchange of information between jurisdictions. The Standard provides for annual automatic exchange between governments of financial account information, including balances, interest, dividends, and sales proceeds… Continue Reading
The Economic Effects of the President’s 2015 Budget
“Each year, after the President releases his budget request, CBO analyzes the proposals in that request. Using its own economic projections and estimating procedures, CBO projects what the federal budget would look like over the next 10 years if the President’s proposals were adopted. CBO usually provides that information in two reports: The first examines… Continue Reading
McKinsey – China’s digital transformation
“As individual companies adopt web technologies, they gain the ability to streamline everything from product development and supply-chain management to sales, marketing, and customer interactions. For China’s small enterprises, greater digitization provides an opportunity to boost their labor productivity, collaborate in new ways, and expand their reach via e-commerce. In fact, new applications of the Internet… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Democracy Assistance/Egypt, FEMA, Foreign Assistance
DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE: Lessons Learned from Egypt Should Inform Future U.S. Plans, GAO-14-799: Published: Jul 24, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 24, 2014. DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE: Lessons Learned from Egypt Should Inform Future U.S. Plans, GAO-14-793T: Published: Jul 24, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 24, 2014. FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: Opportunities to Achieve Efficiencies and Strengthen Operations, GAO-14-687T: Published: Jul 24, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 24, 2014. FOREIGN… Continue Reading
