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Daily Archives: June 20, 2013

UK Guardian posts the top secret rules that allow NSA to use U.S. data without a warrant

Follow up to previous postings on NSA’s big data domestic surveillance program – via UK Guardian: Fisa court submissions show broad scope of procedures governing NSA’s surveillance of Americans’ communication

  • Top secret documents submitted to the court that oversees surveillance by US intelligence agencies show the judges have signed off on broad orders which allow the NSA to make use of information “inadvertently” collected from domestic US communications without a warrant. The Guardian is publishing in full two documents [here and here] submitted to the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (known as the Fisa court), signed by Attorney General Eric Holder and stamped 29 July 2009. They detail the procedures the NSA is required to follow to target “non-US persons” under its foreign intelligence powers and what the agency does to minimize data collected on US citizens and residents in the course of that surveillance.

WHO – Violence against women: a problem of epidemic proportions

News release: “Physical or sexual violence is a public health problem that affects more than one third of all women globally, according to a new report released by WHO in partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the South African Medical Research Council. The report, Global and regional estimates of violence… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Climate Change, Defense Infrastructure, Military Airlift, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Personnel Security Clearances

Climate Change – Various Adaptation Efforts Are Under Way at Key Natural Resource Management Agencies, GAO-13-253, May 31, 2013 Defense Infrastructure – DOD’s Excess Capacity Estimating Methods Have Limitations, GAO-13-535, Jun 20, 2013 Military Airlift – DOD Needs to Take Steps to Manage Workload Distributed to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, GAO-13-564, Jun 20, 2013… Continue Reading

Outsourcing and Insourcing Jobs in the U.S. Economy: Evidence Based on Foreign Investment Data

Outsourcing and Insourcing Jobs in the U.S. Economy: Evidence Based on Foreign Investment Data. James K. Jackson Specialist in International Trade and Finance, June 21, 2013 “The United States is the largest foreign direct investor in the world and the largest recipient of  such investment funds. This active role in foreign investment continues to drive a national debate… Continue Reading

Linking Prevention, Detection, and Whistle-Blowing: Principles for Designing Effective Reporting Systems

Lobel, Orly, Linking Prevention, Detection, and Whistle-Blowing: Principles for Designing Effective Reporting Systems (June 2013). Symposium On Whistle-Blowing and the Regulation of Workplace Reporting, 54 S. Tex. L. Rev. 37 (2013); San Diego Legal Studies Paper No. 13-123. Available at SSRN. “This invited essay for a symposium dedicated to whistle-blowing research offers an overview of… Continue Reading

BIS – Frequently asked questions on Large Exposures QIS

“This document provides answers to technical and interpretive questions raised by supervisors and banks during the Large Exposures QIS. The document intends to facilitate the completion of the questionnaire and is not to be construed as an official interpretation of other documents published by the Committee. Paragraph numbers given in the remainder of this document… Continue Reading

NIST – Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations

Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations, Joint Task Force Transformation Initiative, Computer Security Division Information Technology Laboratory – National Institute of Standards and Technology. April 2013 This publication provides a catalog of security and privacy controls for federal information systems and organizations and a process for selecting controls to protect organizational… Continue Reading

Walk This Way Report Details Steps for Transferring Born-Digital Content from Readable Media

“Written by OCLC Research Diversity Fellow Julianna Barrera-Gomez and Senior Program Officer Ricky Erway, Walk This Way: Detailed Steps for Transferring Born-Digital Content from Media You Can Read In-house collects the assembled wisdom of experienced practitioners to help those with less experience make appropriate choices in gaining control of born-digital content. It contains discrete steps with… Continue Reading

Best Places to Work Snapshot: Federal Leadership on the Decline

“It is a challenging time for federal agencies, and effective leadership is a necessity for guiding employees through the uncertainty. Federal employee attitudes toward their leadership are a major influence on job satisfaction and commitment and also have a significant impact on performance. How satisfied are federal employees with their agency leadership? In the Partnership… Continue Reading

Best Places to Work Snapshot: Satisfaction with Performance-Based Rewards and Advancement

“In the current climate of pay freezes, budget reductions and furloughs, it’s become more challenging and more important for federal leaders to find ways to reward and recognize high performing employees. Unfortunately, only four out of 10 federal workers believe they will be rewarded or promoted for doing good work, according to a new Best… Continue Reading