Ambassador David Johnson, U.S. permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) issued a statement in response to growing international concerns that U.S. anti-terrorism legislation such as the Patriot Act was negatively impacting the exercise of civil liberties. He stated, “The First Amendment rights of libraries, and bookstores and their patrons,… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Patriot Act
Privacy Groups Press For Surveillance Docs from DOJ
As a result of their October 2002 FOI lawsuit, EPIC and the ACLU obtained over 200 documents related to DOJ surveillance activities undertaken subsequent to the Patriot Act. However, this ACLU press release indicates that the documents were so heavily redacted as to provide little if any relevant information. Examples of these documents are available… Continue Reading
Librarians Wrestle with Patriot Act and Data Privacy Issues
A recent survey of how U.S. public librarians have responded to information requests from law enforcement as a result of the Patriot Act indicates that the community is divided in regard to protecting patron privacy. Of those surveyed, 219 indicated that they provided data on patrons, while 229 responded that they did not do so.… Continue Reading
TIA Site Now Concerned About Privacy
The increased focus on the activities of the Total Information Awareness program culminated this week with several legislative initiatives, as mentioned in my post here. It is interesting to note that the TIA site now hosts a slide show with detailed accompanying notes, titled, Security With Privacy (in PDF). There is also a media update… Continue Reading
ACLU Issues Report on Privacy
The press release is here. The full-text report, Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The Growth of an American Surveillance Society, was issued by the ACLU on January 15. Continue Reading
White House Responds to Privacy Controversy
Negative responses continued to reverberated in the press after the White House announcement last week of plans to expand monitoring of Internet usage. Internet News reports that the White House was busy doing damage control over the privacy issues that are at the heart of The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace (draft version), the details… Continue Reading
Bush Administration to Propose System for Monitoring Internet
The New York Times reported that the Administration plans to widen the scope of government sponsored monitoring of Internet usage as well as the use of surveillance, to counter possible terrorist threats. Further details of such plans are still under development, and would be included in the early 2003 release of the final version of… Continue Reading
More on Total Information Awareness
The Total Information Awareness Office (TIA) and its controversial director Vice Adm. John M. Poindexter, (remembered by some for his Reagan era Iran Contra involvement), have begun to feel the heat of growing dissent concerning the activities of this project. Personal data about Poindexter has been posted on numerous weblogs (see this example) and discussed… Continue Reading
Patriot Act Sentencing Guidelines
In the December 18, 2002 Federal Register there are proposed changes to sentencing guidelines for United States Courts in response to the Patriot Act and other post 9/11 laws concerning terrorism and national security. Continue Reading
Patriot Act and Libraries
This USA Today article quotes several librarians on their views with regard to the issue of compliance with potential FBI demands for information on patron use of public library Internet access, as required by the Patriot Act. Continue Reading
Total Information Awareness Program Takes Shape
This Federal Computer Week article provides commentary and illuminating details on the Total Information Awareness program’s technology, objectives, data collection criteria, and funding. Far from being a small blip on the budget radar, the TIA project actually has at its disposal some $240 million in tax payer funds through 2003. Continue Reading
Increased Suveillance By U.S. Gov't
This New York Times article, New Tools for Domestic Spying, and Qualms, provides important perspective on the increasingly contentious issues associated with domestic surveillance and civil liberties in the post 9/11 world. Data on citizens who use public services such as libraries, and a range of commercial services, such as flight training schools and scuba… Continue Reading
