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Daily Archives: August 1, 2016

Defending Our Data: The Need for Information We Do Not Have

Warner, Richard and Sloan, Robert H., Defending Our Data: The Need for Information We Do Not Have (July 29, 2016). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2816010
“Data breaches occur at the rate of over two a day. The aggregate social cost is high. Security experts have long explained how to defend better. So why does society tolerate a significant loss that it has the means to avoid? Current laws are ineffective in providing an adequate incentive to avoid the loss. As Thomas Smedinghoff notes, laws — current and proposed — “obligate companies to establish and maintain ‘reasonable’ or ‘appropriate’ security measures, controls, safeguards, or procedures.” However, most the laws “simply obligate companies to establish and maintain ‘reasonable’ or ‘appropriate’ security measures, controls, safeguards, or procedures, but give no further direction or guidance.” We contend that the consequence is that the laws fail to provide an adequate incentive to improve information security. The solution is to provide better guidance about what counts as reasonable security measures. Data breach notification laws may seem like a viable alternative, but we argue they are unlikely to sufficiently improve security.

Do Something! The Active-Passive Transformation Internet Causes in Political Reasoning

Mitchell, Charles L., Do Something! The Active-Passive Transformation Internet Causes in Political Reasoning (July 24, 2016). Prepared for presentation at the 24th World Congress of the International Political Science Association, Poznań, Poland, July 24, 2016. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2815982 “The motivating effect of Internet on politicians and social scientists has been presented in… Continue Reading

CFPB Proposes Updates To “Know Before You Owe” Mortgage Disclosure Rule

“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today proposed updates to its Know Before You Owe mortgage disclosure rule. The proposed amendments are intended to formalize guidance in the rule, and provide greater clarity and certainty. The changes proposed today would augment implementation of the Know Before You Owe rule, which took effect last year, and… Continue Reading

The U.S. Military’s Force Structure: A Primer

The U.S. Military’s Force Structure: A Primer, July 2016: “The U.S. military’s capabilities and budget are determined primarily by the number and type of combat units, as well as the personnel and equipment they contain. This report describes each type of major combat unit’s structure, function, strengths and limitations, past usage, size, and cost, accounting… Continue Reading

Firearms Data: ATF Did Not Always Comply with the Appropriations Act Restriction and Policies

Firearms Data: ATF Did Not Always Comply with the Appropriations Act Restriction and Should Better Adhere to Its Policies, GAO-16-552: Published: Jun 30, 2016. Publicly Released: Aug 1, 2016. “To carry out its criminal and regulatory enforcement responsibilities, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has 25 firearms-related data systems, 16 of which… Continue Reading

Federal Telework: Better Guidance Could Help Agencies Calculate Benefits and Costs

Federal Telework: Better Guidance Could Help Agencies Calculate Benefits and Costs, GAO-16-551: Published: Jul 15, 2016. Publicly Released: Aug 1, 2016: “With over 1 million federal employees eligible for telework in 2013, federal agencies are fully engaged in incorporating telework as a standard human capital flexibility. GAO was asked to review the benefits and costs… Continue Reading

The Federal FOIA Ombudsman

“The National Archives and Records Administration established the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee in 2014 to foster dialog between the Administration and the requester community, solicit public comments, and develop consensus recommendations for improving FOIA administration and proactive disclosures. The Federal FOIA Advisory Committee reports to the Archivist of the United States.… Continue Reading

Risk-Mitigation Instruments in Infrastructure: Gap Assessment

World Economic Forum: “The report, Risk Mitigation Instruments in Infrastructure: Gap Assessment, offers a framework for institutions to assess gaps in the provision of risk-mitigation instruments and to mobilize much-needed long-term infrastructure investment in emerging and developing economies. The report outlines input from more than 40 institutional and private investors with total assets under management… Continue Reading

Smithsonian – The Future of Libraries

Besides lending books, the local institutions are training young journalists, renting garden plots and more “…public libraries today are actually doing an enormous amount to meet 21st-century needs. A recent contest sponsored by the Knight Foundation awarded shares of a $1.6 million prize to 14 winners who came up with the best, most innovative ideas… Continue Reading