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Monthly Archives: July 2013

Principles on Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance

International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance – Final version 10 July 2013

“As technologies that facilitate State surveillance of communications advance, States are failing to ensure that laws and regulations related to communications surveillance adhere to international human rights and adequately protect the rights to privacy and freedom of expression. This document attempts to explain how international human rights law applies in the current digital environment, particularly in light of the increase in and changes to communications surveillance technologies and techniques. These principles can provide civil society groups, industry, States and others with a framework to evaluate whether current or proposed surveillance laws and practices are consistent with human rights. These principles are the outcome of a global consultation with civil society groups, industry and international experts in communications surveillance law, policy and technology.”

Five indicted in NJ for largest known data breach conspiracy

News release: “A federal indictment made public today in New Jersey charges five men with conspiring in a worldwide hacking and data breach scheme that targeted major corporate networks, stole more than 160 million credit card numbers, resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses and is the largest such scheme ever prosecuted in… Continue Reading

As Poverty Grows in the Suburbs, Businesses and Governments Confront New Challenges

Knowledge@Wharton: “When the suburban boom took off in the U.S. in the 1950s, many middle class families moved to those communities as a way to escape the country’s increasingly crowded, dirty and financially strapped cities. But now, as many American cities are gradually being revitalized and the suburbs have expanded outward, some of these former… Continue Reading

82 of top 100 publicly traded U.S. companies operate subsidiaries in tax haven jurisdictions

“With Congress considering big cuts to public programs, U.S. PIRG released fresh evidence that the vast majority of large companies are dodging taxes by stashing money in offshore tax havens. In a study of the top 100 publicly traded companies, as measured by revenue, the study  – Offshore Shell Games  – reveals that 82 maintain… Continue Reading

The Inequality of Declining Wages During the Recovery

The Inequality of Declining Wages During the Recovery – National Employment Law Project Fact Sheet, July 2013. “A previous NELP analysis found that while job losses during the recession were heavily concentrated in mid-wage occupations, the early recovery was led by employment growth in lower-paying occupations. This fact sheet turns from analyzing employment to analyzing … Continue Reading

New GAO Reports: Army Logistics, Coast Guard, Defense Acquisitions, Defective Drywall, Drug Compounding

Army Logistics – Container Handling Equipment Requirements, Contracts, and Inventory, GAO-13-719R, Jul 31, 2013 Coast Guard – Observations on Progress Made and Challenges Faced in Developing and Implementing a Common Operational Picture, GAO-13-784T, Jul 31, 2013 Defense Acquisitions – DOD Efforts to Adopt Open Systems for Its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Have Progressed Slowly, GAO-13-651, Jul… Continue Reading

CREW – U.S. Code now available for bulk download

News release: “Earlier today, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced that the US Code is now available for bulk download in XML. This seemingly technical announcement must be understood as a bigger win for transparency than it would initially appear. What the House leadership is doing (in a bipartisan… Continue Reading

New Zagat website is free

Google Official Blog: “[July 29, 2013 we launched] a new Zagat website and mobile app for Android and iPhone that puts the very best restaurants and nightspots right at your fingertips. And for the first time, our trusted Zagat ratings and reviews are available for free with no registration required. The new Zagat features the… Continue Reading

Dallas Fed – The Costs and Consequences of the 2007–09 Financial Crisis

How Bad Was It? The Costs and Consequences of the 2007–09 Financial Crisis –  Staff PAPERS. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas No. 20, July 2013. Tyler Atkinson, David Luttrell, Harvey Rosenblum “The 2007-2009 financial crisis was associated with a huge loss of economic output and financial wealth, psychological consequences and skill atrophy from extended unemployment,… Continue Reading

NSA tool collects ‘nearly everything a user does on the internet’

Glenn Greenwald, TheGuardian.com: “A top secret National Security Agency program allows analysts to search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing emails, online chats and the browsing histories of millions of individuals, according to documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The NSA boasts in training materials that the program, called XKeyscore, is its “widest-reaching”… Continue Reading