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

Daily Archives: February 7, 2014

EPIC – New Limits on NSA Telephone Record Program Established, Authority Expires March 28

“The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has granted the government’s motion to limit access by the NSA to the bulk telephone records provided by US telephone companies. Under the new rules, the government cannot “query” the telephone metadata until after the court finds that there is a “reasonable, articulable suspicion that the selection term is associated with” a terrorist organization. The new rules also limit query results to telephone numbers within “two hops” of the selector. President Obama announced the new legal requirement during his recent speech on surveillance reform, when he committed to end the NSA’s bulk record collection program. The NSA’s authority to force US telephone companies to turn over records on all their customers will expire on March 28th. The President has recommended that the Intelligence Community and the Attorney General propose an alternative to the bulk collection program prior to that deadline. For more information, see EPIC: FISC and EPIC: NSA Verizon Phone Record Monitoring.”

K-12 Education, Nanomanufacturing

K-12 EDUCATION: Characteristics of the Investing in Innovation Fund, GAO-14-211R: Published: Feb 7, 2014. Publicly Released: Feb 7, 2014.”From fiscal years 2010 to 2012, Education awarded over half ($493 million of $937 million) of Investing in Innovation (i3) grants funds as validation grants, and most awards went to partnerships involving nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit organizations partnering with school… Continue Reading

The National Defense Authorization Act for FY2012 and Beyond: Detainee Matters

The National Defense Authorization Act for FY2012 and Beyond: Detainee Matters. Jennifer K. Elsea, Legislative Attorney; Michael John Garcia  Legislative Attorney. January 27, 2014. “In recent years, Congress has included provisions in annual defense authorization bills addressing issues related to detainees at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and, more broadly, the disposition of persons captured in… Continue Reading

The Freedom of Information Act: Background, Legislation, and Policy Issues

CRS – The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): Background, Legislation, and Policy Issues, Wendy Ginsberg, Analyst in American National Government. January 23, 2014. “The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA; 5 U.S.C. §552), often referred to as the embodiment of “the people’s right to know” about the activities and operations of government, statutorily established a presumption of public access to… Continue Reading

Center for Financial Stability – Global Country Reports

“Financial regulators and central banks in over 60 countries publish Financial Stability Reports about the health of their banking, financial and payments systems. These are a rich source of information on the structure of financial systems, recent trends in banking and finance, and the impact of the global economy on local markets. For scholars and… Continue Reading

Crowd-funding: An Infant Industry Growing Fast

Crowd-funding: An Infant Industry Growing Fast – Staff Working Paper of the IOSCO Research Department. Eleanor Kirby and Shane Worner, February 2014 “Crowd-funding is an umbrella term describing the use of small amounts of money, obtained from a large number of individuals or organisations, to fund a project, a business or personal loan, and other needs through an online web-based platform.… Continue Reading

Post-Employment, “Revolving Door,” Laws for Federal Personnel

Post-Employment, “Revolving Door,” Laws for Federal Personnel, Jack Maskell, Legislative Attorney. January 7, 2014  “Federal personnel may be subject to certain conflict of interest restrictions on private employment activities even after they leave service for the United States government. These restrictions— applicable when one enters private employment after having left federal government service—are often referred to as “revolving door” laws.… Continue Reading

Constitutional Analysis of Suspicionless Drug Testing Requirements for the Receipt of Governmental Benefits

CRS – Constitutional Analysis of Suspicionless Drug Testing Requirements for the Receipt of Governmental Benefits. David H. Carpenter, Legislative Attorney. January 29, 201 “For decades, federal policymakers and state administrators of governmental assistance programs, such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grants (formerly Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly… Continue Reading