New America Foundation – “It has been over a year since The Guardian reported the first story on the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs based on the leaks from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, yet the national conversation remains largely mired in a simplistic debate over the tradeoffs between national security and individual privacy. It is time… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: E-Records
Deeper Dive into EFF’s Motion on Backbone Surveillance
News release: “Yesterday we filed a motion for partial summary judgment in our long running Jewel v. NSA case, focusing on the government’s admitted seizure and search of communications from the Internet backbone, also called “upstream.” We’ve asked the judge to rule that there are two ways in which this is unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment: The admitted seizure of communications from the… 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
New GAO Reports – Aviation Safety, Fair Labor Standards, Indian Gaming, NTIS, Patient Protection, Small Business, Space Launch System
AVIATION SAFETY: FAA’s Efforts to Implement Recommendations to Improve Certification and Regulatory Consistency Face Some Challenges, GAO-14-728T: Published: Jul 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 23, 2014. FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT: Department of Labor Needs a More Systematic Approach to Developing Its Guidance, GAO-14-629T: Published: Jul 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 23, 2014. INDIAN GAMING: Preliminary Observations on the Regulation and Oversight of… Continue Reading
The complicated challenges of archiving and retrieving government email
FCW.com: “When President Barack Obama signed a memorandum on the management of government records in November 2011, some touted it as the first significant action on the topic since Harry Truman signed the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act in 1949 and the Federal Records Act in 1950. More than six decades and 7 billion network devices later,… Continue Reading
Former State Dept Exec Calls Executive Order 12333 a “Legal Loophole” for Spying on Americans
EFF – “What kind of data is the NSA collecting on millions, or hundreds of millions, of Americans?” That’s the question John Napier Tye, a former StateDepartment section chief for Internet freedom, calls on the government to answer in his powerful op-ed published today by the Washington Post. In it, Tye calls the NSA’s surveillance operations abroad, conducted under Executive… Continue Reading
Global Cybercrime: The Interplay of Politics and Law
The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) – Aaron Shull, June 2014 “Examining global cybercrime as solely a legal issue misses an important facet of the problem. Understanding the applicable legal rules, both domestically and internationally, is important. However, major state actors are using concerted efforts to engage in nefarious cyber activities with the intention of… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – FDIC Information Security, Missile Defense, National Nuclear Security Administration
INFORMATION SECURITY: FDIC Made Progress in Securing Key Financial Systems, but Weaknesses Remain, GAO-14-674: Published: Jul 17, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 17, 2014. MISSILE DEFENSE: DOD’s Report Provides Limited Insight on Improvements to Homeland Missile Defense and Acquisition Plans, GAO-14-626R: Published: Jul 17, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 17, 2014. NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: Agency Expanded Use of Some Federal Oversight Reforms, but… Continue Reading
Global Survey: Widespread Opposition to US Communications Surveillance, Drones
“A new survey from Pew Research finds overwhelming opposition to the US monitoring of emails and phone calls. There appears to be little variation by region or culture, with high levels of opposition found in countries in Europe, South America, Asia, and the Middle East. According to the survey “Global Opinions of U.S. Surveillance,” the four countries… Continue Reading
Privacy Protection for Customer Financial Information – CRS
Privacy Protection for Customer Financial Information – M. Maureen Murphy, Legislative Attorney. July 14, 2014 “One of the functions transferred to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) under P.L. 111-203, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), is authority to issue regulations and take enforcement actions under the two major federal statutes that specify conditions under which customer… Continue Reading
67 Percent of Critical Infrastructure Providers Were Breached Last Year
Jeff Goldman – eSecurity PlanetJeff Goldman – “A recent survey of 599 security executives at utility, oil and gas, energy and manufacturing companies in 13 countries has found that 67 percent have experienced at least one security breach in the past 12 months that led to the loss of confidential information or the disruption of operations. The survey, conducted… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Afghanistan, Bulk Fuel Pricing, E-Health Records, Littoral Combat Ship, Software Licenses
AFGHANISTAN: Kabul Embassy Construction Costs Have Increased and Schedules Have Been Extended, GAO-14-661R: Published: Jul 8, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 8, 2014. BULK FUEL PRICING: DOD Needs to Reevaluate Its Approach to Better Manage the Effect of Market Fluctuations, GAO-14-595: Published: Jul 8, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 8, 2014. ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS: Fiscal Year 2013 Expenditure Plan Lacks Key Information Needed to… Continue Reading
