Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: June 6, 2013

EPIC: Sweeping NSA Domestic Surveillance Order Approved Without Any Ties to Foreign Intelligence Collection

Follow up to previous posting, Verizon forced to hand over telephone data – full court ruling, more information news today that provides a more accurate view of the depth and breath data collection of American citizens: via EPIC: An unprecedented order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court indicates that the FBI and the NSA obtained vast amounts of data on Verizon customers without any ties to a foreign intelligence investigation. Last year, in testimony for the House Judiciary Committee, EPIC urged Congress not to renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act without first establishing appropriate oversight mechanisms. EPIC warned “there is simply too little known about the operation of the FISA today to determine whether it is effective and whether the privacy interests of Americans are adequately protected; and via the Washington Post: “The National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping directly into the central servers of nine leading U.S. Internet companies [Collection directly from the servers of these U.S. Service Providers: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple], extracting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track one target or trace a whole network of associates, according to a top-secret document obtained by The Washington Post. The program, code-named PRISM, has not been made public until now. It may be the first of its kind.”

TRAC: Over 100,000 Removal Orders Sought in Immigration Courts So Far This Year

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “During the first eight months of FY 2013 the federal government has filed actions in the Immigration Courts against 107,538 noncitizens seeking their removal according to the latest (May 2013) data obtained and analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). If this pace continues for the remainder of the fiscal… Continue Reading

Chicago Fed Letter – Estimating the trend in employment growth

Estimating the trend in employment growth by Daniel Aaronson, vice president and director of microeconomic research, and Scott Brave, senior business economist, July 2013: “For the unemployment rate to decline, the U.S. economy needs to generate above-trend job growth. We currently estimate trend employment growth to be around 80,000 jobs per month, and we expect… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – College Textbooks, DOD Financial Management, Managing for Results

College Textbooks – Students Have Greater Access to Textbook Information, GAO-13-368, Jun 6, 2013 DOD Financial Management – Significant Improvements Needed in Efforts to Address Improper Payment Requirements, GAO-13-227, May 13, 2013 Managing for Results – Leading Practices Should Guide the Continued Development of Performance.gov, GAO-13-517, Jun 6, 2013 Continue Reading

DOJ – Summary of Annual FOIA Reports for FY 2012

“Every year, the Office of Information Policy (OIP) compiles a summary of the information contained in the Annual FOIA Reports prepared by each federal agency that is subject to the FOIA. The Annual FOIA Reports contain detailed statistics on agencies’ FOIA activities, including the number of FOIA requests and appeals received, processed, and pending. These… Continue Reading

DOD Global Peace Operations – Discusses the Legal Bases and Fundamentals for Peace Operations

Via FAS: Joint Publication 3-07.3, Peace Operations, 01 August 2012 “This publication has been prepared under the direction of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It sets forth joint doctrine to govern the activities and performance of the Armed Forces of the United States in joint operations and provides the doctrinal basis for… Continue Reading

Federal Reserve – Financial Accounts of the United States, Z.1 statistical release

“The Z.1 statistical release, previously named Flow of Funds Accounts of the United States, has been renamed Financial Accounts of the United States. As part of the redesign of the Z.1 release, annual tables for the Integrated Macroeconomic Accounts (IMA) are now included. Previously, the IMA were available in the Flow of Funds Guide. Some… Continue Reading

Intelesense Beta Release of Collaborate.org at Annual Future in Review Conference

Collaborate.org “Collaborate.org combines an integrated suite of collaboration tools coupled with all of the world’s geospatial data at your fingertips.”Collaborate.org [from Intelesense Technologies] is a cloud based big data application that currently offers its members features including: Customizable dashboards that can provide easy configuration of the features that matter to the groups who operate a… Continue Reading

Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic

UN Human Rights Council, June 4, 2013: “The conflict in Syria has reached new levels of brutality. This report documents for the first time the systematic imposition of sieges, the use of chemical agents and forcible displacement. War crimes, crimes against humanity and gross human rights violations continue apace. Referral to justice remains paramount. This… Continue Reading