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Category Archives: E-Records

U.S. House approves remote voting, though the tech is unclear

TechCrunch: “Congress will allow remote voting for the first time in its history, after the U.S. House approved Resolution 965 late Friday in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The measure — sponsored by Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern — authorizes proxy voting by members for renewable periods of 45 days and allows for remote participation in… Continue Reading

The Answer to a COVID-19 Vaccine May Lie in Our Genes, But

Scientific American – “The coronavirus, as we all know, has brought our economy to its knees. As the search for vaccines and treatments accelerates, geneticists are now looking to our genes to understand why some recover quickly or show no symptoms, while others die. To do so, they are searching DNA databases and cross-referencing them… Continue Reading

Op-Ed: Coronavirus tracing apps are coming. Here’s how they could reshape surveillance as we know it

LA Times: “…First, there are only so many things tech companies can control. Google and Apple are promising to serve as staunch gatekeepers of the system they are creating. They plan to allow only government health authorities to create the apps that can use the tracing capabilities. To protect civil liberties, the companies say they… Continue Reading

States Are Suspending Public Records Access Due to COVID-19

The Markup – There is little precedent for such action, even in an emergency: “…Hawaii is among several jurisdictions around the country that have amended or suspended access to public records as the coronavirus spreads. Governors are taking emergency action in some states, ordering changes to public records compliance during the crisis. Other states and… Continue Reading

Cellphone monitoring is spreading with the coronavirus

Washington Post via MSN – So is an uneasy tolerance of surveillance. “To the feelings of fear, restlessness, insecurity and sorrow taking hold around the globe, the pandemic era has added another certainty: being watched. In a matter of months, tens of millions of people in dozens of countries have been placed under surveillance. Governments,… Continue Reading

Zoom or Not? NSA Offers Agencies Guidance for Choosing Videoconference Tools

NextGov: “Video conferencing platforms Zoom and Microsoft Teams are both FedRAMP-approved, but while Zoom offers end-to-end encryption, Microsoft Teams does not.  These are just two of nine factors the National Security Agency cites in its guide to help federal workers choose commercial telework tools for “safely using collaboration services,” as necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues April 25, 2020

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues April 25, 2020 – Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly… Continue Reading

‘Quarantine fatigue’: Americans venturing out against coronavirus stay-at-home orders

Washington Post – Social Distancing Decreasing Across the Country: “Researchers tracking smartphone data say they recently made a disturbing discovery: For the first time since states began implementing stay-at-home orders in mid-March to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, Americans are staying home less. The nationwide shift during the week of April 13 was… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues April 18, 2020

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues April 18, 2020 – Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly… Continue Reading

COVID-19, Digital Surveillance, and Privacy: Fourth Amendment Considerations

CRS Legal Sidebar – COVID-19, Digital Surveillance, and Privacy: Fourth Amendment Considerations, April 16, 2020:  “As COVID-19 has spread across the globe, countries like South Korea and Israel have employed digital surveillance measures using cell phone location data, among other things, in an effort to track and limit the virus’s transmission. In the United States,… Continue Reading

Attacks on press credibility endanger US democracy and global press freedom

“The Trump administration has stepped up prosecutions of news sources, interfered in the business of media owners, harassed journalists crossing U.S. borders, and empowered foreign leaders to restrict their own media. But Trump’s most effective ploy has been to destroy the credibility of the press, dangerously undermining truth and consensus even as the COVID-19 pandemic… Continue Reading

Apple makes mobility data available to aid COVID-19 efforts

Apple Newsroom: “Apple today released a mobility data trends tool from Apple Maps to support the impactful work happening around the globe to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This mobility data may provide helpful insights to local governments and health authorities and may also be used as a foundation for new public policies by showing… Continue Reading