Ideological foes agree: Privacy rights in danger Surveillance State: “Since September 11, a flood of federal legislation has reduced American freedom without increasing our security.” Calif. Town To ‘Defy’ Patriot Act . “A new city (Arcata) ordinance would impose a fine of $57 on any city department head who voluntarily complies with investigations or arrests… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Patriot Act
Sen. Hatch and the Patriot Act
Law Provides Needed Tools, by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Op-ed column from May 12 USA Today. Continue Reading
Time Reports on Librarians and Patriot Act
Nothing new here, but nevertheless worth noting that Time.com has an article, Checking What You Check Out, on opposition to the Patriot Act by librarians across the country. See also my topical resource on the issue here. Also note this posting from the Volokh Conspiracy that states the Time article erroneously interprets Section 215 of… Continue Reading
EPIC Loses Homeland Security FOIA Case
Homeland Security Privacy Suit Dismissed: “U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly earlier this week signed a dismissal agreement between the Justice Department and the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center, which had sought records about the office’s activities.” Continue Reading
IP Expert Comments on Patriot Act and DMCA
From Eyeteeth, this interview with professor and author Siva Vaidhyanathan, whose books include The Anarchist in the Library, which details the impact of peer-to-peer networks on the dissemination of information, and Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Rise of Intellectual Property and How It Threatens Creativity. His comments about libraries and the Patriot Act include the following:… Continue Reading
Treasury Releases New Patriot Act Regs
From the press release: “The Department of the Treasury, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and the seven federal financial regulators today issued final rules that require certain financial institutions to establish procedures to verify the identity of new accountholders.” 326 Final Rule Banks 326 Final Rule MFS Final Rule BDS 326 Final Rule FCM 326… Continue Reading
Librarians, Booksellers and the Patriot Act
ABC News has highlighted the ongoing story on the battle being waged by libraries and booksellers against the Patriot Act (Sec. 215. Access to Records and Other Items Under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) that permits government access to data about patron reading habits, Internet usage, and book purchases. Opposition to many aspects of this… Continue Reading
Library Patriot Act Resolutions
The American Library Association (ALA) has a useful resource available on their site: USA Patriot Act Resolutions of State Library Associations. It offers an alphabetical list of states, along with either direct, or sometimes circuitous links, to their respective resolutions endorsing the ALA USA Patriot Act Resolution. Continue Reading
Patriot Act Backlash Continues
From around the country, more articles on the escalating backlash against the Patriot Act as exemplified by defiant libraries and local governments. In Washington State, Libraries routinely toss data on patrons’. From New York State, Libraries, government at odds over Patriot Act, and from California, Local Officials Rise Up to Defy The Patriot Act. Continue Reading
Libraries Act to Protect Patron Records
Public libraries across the country continue to pro-actively protect patron privacy using various straight-forward methods. In and around Chicago, libraries have recently posted signs informing visitors that their reading habits, and web sites visited from library PCs, are subject to tracking. “We want our patrons to be aware we could be forced to turn these… Continue Reading
Rhetoric Sharpens Over Proposed Patriot Act Extension
As a follow-up to my posting yesterday, Legislative Maneuvering to Extend Patriot Act, see today’s press release from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Leahy Threatens Floor Fight On Move to Repeal Sunset Provisions of The USA PATRIOT Act. More information on this issue tomorrow. Continue Reading
Libraries and Patriot Act Like Oil and Water
The Washington Post brings more attention to the growing movement in public libraries to pro-actively challenge patron surveillance efforts associated with the Patriot Act. The 64,000 member American Library Association has passed a resolution seeking its repeal, and librarians across the country are taking actions to limit access to patron related online and paper documents. Continue Reading
