March 31, 2006
FTC in 2006: Committed to Consumers and Competition

Press release: "Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras today issued the agency's 2006 Annual Report at the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting in Washington, DC. The report, entitled "The FTC in 2006: Committed to Consumers and Competition," (62 pages, PDF) is available now on the Commission's Web site and includes sections on the FTC's competition and consumer protection missions and recent accomplishments, as well as a summary of the policy tools it uses to complement its array of law enforcement and international outreach and coordination efforts."

Senate Cmte. Approves Protecting Consumer Phone Records Act

Press release, Thursday, March 30, 2006: The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today approved by voice vote S. 2389, the Protecting Consumer Phone Records Act, which prevents unscrupulous companies and individuals from fraudulently obtaining consumers' private phone records in a deceptive practice known as "pretexting." ...The Protecting Consumer Phone Records Act, which covers wireless, wireline, and IP telephony services, makes it illegal to acquire, use or sell a person’s confidential phone records without that person’s affirmative written consent, which can be given electronically. Under the bill, a carrier must notify a customer if someone without authorization gains access to their phone records. It also specifically clarifies that the practice of fraudulent pretexting is illegal, and charges the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with concurrent enforcement."

  • Related postings on sale of cell phone records
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress, Legislation, Privacy
    Sunshine in the Courtroom Bill Passed by Senate Judiciary Cmte.

    Press release, MArch 30, 2006: "Transparency in federal courtrooms today scored a victory when legislation introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, to allow federal trial and appellate judges to permit cameras in the courtroom passed the Senate Judiciary Committee...The bipartisan "Sunshine in the Courtroom" bill would allow federal trial and appellate judges, at their sole discretion, to permit cameras in their courtrooms. The bill would also direct the Judicial Conference, the principal policy-making entity for the federal courts, to draft nonbinding guidelines that judges can refer to in making a decision pertaining to the coverage of a particular case...Forty-eight states currently permit some form of audio-video coverage in their courtrooms and at least 37 directly televise trials. Studies and surveys conducted in many of those states have confirmed that electronic media coverage of trials boosts public understanding of the court system without interfering with court proceedings. Fifteen states have conducted studies aimed specifically at the educational benefits that are derived from camera access to courtrooms. They all determined that camera coverage contributes to greater public understanding of the judicial system."

    Cell Phones Gaining as Landlines Lose Favor

    WSJ free feature: More U.S. Households Are Ditching Landline Phones for Wireless

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet
    March 30, 2006
    Extensive Document Demands From DOJ to ISPs and Search Companies

    As previously noted in a series of postings this year, DOJ has sought, and obtained, voluminous data search records from companies including Yahoo, MSN and Verizon. Today, InformationWeek reported that their FOIA request yielded 54 documents [made available in a Zip archive], that include subpoenas, replies, and related legal documents involving 34 ISPs, search companies and security software firms.

    More Facts Emerge on Key Pre-War Iraq Intel Not Shared With Public

    Prewar Intelligence - Insulating Bush, by Murray Waas, National Journal, Thursday, March 30, 2006.

  • "Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political adviser, cautioned other White House aides in the summer of 2003 that Bush's 2004 re-election prospects would be severely damaged if it was publicly disclosed that he had been personally warned that a key rationale for going to war had been challenged within the administration."

  • Previous coverage of pre-war intelligence and the CIA leak investigation from Murray Waas.

  • Related postings on pre-war intel

  • H.RES.635: Creating a select committee to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war before congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, encouraging and countenancing torture, retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment.
  • GAO Identifies Security Gaps in Use of Social Security Numbers and Recommends Remedies

    Social Security Numbers: More Could be Done to Protect SSNs, Full text GAO-06-586T, and Highlights. March 30, 2006.

  • "There is no one law that comprehensively regulates SSN use and protections...GAO found that there were gaps in the practices for protecting SSNs within government agencies and across industry sectors, such as a lack of uniformity at all levels of government to assure the security of the SSN; gaps in the federal law and oversight in different industries that share SSNs with their contractors; exposure of SSNs in public records and identification cards under the auspices of the government; and few restrictions on certain entities' abilities to obtain and use SSNs in the course of their business."
  • Document Provides Roadmap for the Future of Federal Depository Library Program

    From Barbie Selby, current Chair of the Depository Library Council, links to the following documents:

  • The Council "Vision Statement," Knowledge Will Forever Govern

  • The Council Wiki
  • Overview of Purpose and Provisions of CRA and Trends in Oversight

    Federal Rulemaking: Perspectives on 10 Years of Congressional Review Act Implementation, Full text GAO-06-601T, and Highlights. March 30, 2006.

  • "This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Congressional oversight of rulemaking using the CRA can be an important and useful tool for monitoring the regulatory process and balancing and accommodating the concerns of American citizens and businesses with the effects of federal agencies' rules. This statement provides an overview of the purpose and provisions of CRA; GAO's role and activities in fulfilling its responsibilities under the Act; and trends on CRA within the broader context of developments in presidential and congressional oversight of federal agencies' rulemaking."
  • Democrats Unveil Security Plan

    Press release: "The highest responsibility of government is to protect the security of every American,” said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. "After five years of Republican incompetence, Americans have had enough. They expect and demand policies that are tough and smart. They deserve Real Security."

  • Real Security: The Democratic Plan to Secure America and Restore Our Leadership in the World (10 pages, PDF)
  • Hearing Highlights Continued Security Gaps in Nation's Capital

    The War on Terrorism: How Prepared is the Nation's Capital? (Part II), 3/29/06. Links to prepared testimony, in PDF.

  • "On July 14, 2005, the Subcommittee held a hearing that examined coordination efforts within the National Capital Region (NCR) in response to a terrorist attack or natural disaster. This second hearing will give the officials from the governments of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the opportunity to update the Subcommittee on their efforts to improve and refine coordination efforts."
  • Washington Post: "Nearly five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Washington region still lacks a strategic plan to guide preparations for any future attacks or to effectively spend hundreds of millions of homeland security dollars..."


  • Related government documents:
  • Homeland Security: The Status of Strategic Planning in the National Capital Region, Full text GAO-06-559T, and Highlights. March 29, 2006.

  • DC Homeland Security Strategic Plan

  • National Capital Region Homeland Security Strategic Plan

  • District Response Plan

  • FBI's Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Request

    March 28, 2006 - FBI's Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Request, Robert S. Mueller, III, Director, FBI, Before the House Appropriations Committee.

    New DHS Reports on IT and Intelligence Systems

    Transportation Security Administration's Information Technology Managed Services Contract, OIG-06-23, February 2006 (PDF, 44 pages) - New 03/30/2006

  • Evaluation of DHS' Security Program and Practices For Its Intelligence Systems, Unclassified Summary, OIG-06-13, December 2005 (PDF, 3 pages) - New 03/30/2006
  • Investigation Called for Into Signing of the Reconciliation Act

    Press release: "Rep. Waxman and other committee members announce they will introduce a Resolution of Inquiry directing the President to submit to Congress all documents relating to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which the President signed on February 8. The version the President signed was different in substance from the version the House passed on February 1, 2006."

  • Text of the Resolution

  • Members' Previous Requests for White House Information

  • Rep. Waxman's Statement
  • March 29, 2006
    Former FISA Court Judges Voice Opinions on Domestic Surveillance Program

    Follow-up to yesterday's posting, Judiciary Cmte. Holds Hearing on NSA Wiretapping, in today's New York Times, Judges on Secretive Panel Speak Out on Spy Program.

  • Related postings on domestic surveillance
  • House Intel Dems Call Again For Full Briefing On Domestic Surveillance Program

    In a letter sent yesterday to President Bush, the nine Democrats on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence again called for all 20 members of the committee to be briefed on the details of the NSA surveillance program. This request has been denied.

  • Related postings on domestic surveillance
  • Global Information Technology Report 2005-2006

    "The United States tops the rankings of The Global Information Technology Report 2005-2006's "Networked Readiness Index" for the third time in five years, maintaining its eminent position as a leader in the area of innovation and confirming its position as an information and communication technology powerhouse. Singapore, Denmark, Iceland and Finland follow, confirming the ICT dominance of Asia and the Nordic countries."

  • Report summary (4 pages, PDF)
  • Rankings (1 pages, PDF)

  • Interview

  • Press release
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet
    Data Accountability and Trust Act Unanimously Approved by House Cmte.

    Press release: "The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved new data security laws Wednesday that will ensure consumers' personal information is closely guarded and consumers are notified when they are at risk...The bill places new requirements on specific companies that specialize in collecting personal data. These "data brokers" will be required to implement effective security safeguards. If there is a reasonable risk of identity theft to the individual to whom the personal information relates, fraud or other unlawful conduct, these data brokers must notify consumers. Additionally, data brokers will be prohibited from falsely representing themselves to obtain personal data...H.R. 4127, the Data Accountability and Trust Act, passed 41-0. The bill "sends a clear message: 'If you can't protect it, don't collect it,'" said U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., the committee's ranking member."

  • Related postings on data breaches
  • HHS Releases Fiscal Year 2005 Red Book (Cost-Saver Handbook)

    "The Red Book is a compendium of significant Office of Inspector General (OIG) costsaving recommendations that have not been fully implemented. These recommendations may require one of three types of actions: legislative, regulatory, or procedural (such as
    manual revisions). Some complex issues involve two or all three types of actions. The Inspector General Act requires that the OIG's semiannual reports to Congress include "an identification of each significant recommendation described in previous semiannual reports on which corrective action has not been completed." Thus,
    appendixes to each semiannual report list significant unimplemented recommendations."

    BBB Offers Toolkit to Help Manage Privacy and Security

    "The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has partnered with nationally-recognized security and privacy experts to create a new toolkit to help small business owners manage security and privacy challenges. We call it Security & Privacy - Made Simpler (TM). The objective is to demystify the complexities of data security and give small businesses a non-technical roadmap to securing their customer data, and their employees' data, too."

  • Download Security & Privacy - Made Simpler
  • March 28, 2006
    Sunshine in Government Initiative

    "The Sunshine in Government Initiative is a coalition of media groups committed to promoting policies that ensure the government is accessible, accountable and open. Public oversight is the ultimate safeguard of democracy. This is not an issue just for the media. It is the inalienable right of citizens to examine and judge their government; and that right is served when news media act on behalf of the public to gain access to information."

    Free Service Alerts Businesses to Phishing Risks

    "PhishRegistry.org is a free service provided by CipherTrust, Inc. to help businesses know when they are at risk of being phished. PhishRegistry.org monitors the content of your website and alerts you when attempts to duplicate it have been detected. Weekly reports are sent to your email address with information about suspect websites."

  • See also the Phishing Incident Reporting and Termination Squad
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Cybercrime, ID Theft, Privacy
    Successes and Failures in Latest Report on E-Government Sites

    American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) E-Government Satisfaction Index, March 21, 2006. "Citizen satisfaction stalled, although some sites show significant improvement in meeting citizens' needs." Improvements were registered by IRS.gov, PBGC.gov, the National Archives, and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    HHS OIG Testimony on Eliminating Fraud in Medicaid

    Testimony of Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General, before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Medicaid Program Integrity, March 28, 2006 (9 pages, PDF)

    Judiciary Cmte. Holds Hearing on NSA Wiretapping

    Hearing - NSA III: War Time Executive Power and the FISA Court, Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Tuesday, March 28, 2006.

  • Statement of Sen. Patrick Leahy, Vermont: "We desperately need some answers to basic questions about the President’s decision to wiretap Americans on American soil without court approval and without attempting to comply with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act."

  • Related postings on domestic surveillance
  • Audit of Oversight of Load Ratings and Postings on Structurally Deficient Bridges on the National Highway System

    Dept. of Transportation, IG Audit of Oversight of Load Ratings and Postings on Structurally Deficient Bridges on the National Highway System, March, 21 2006 (33 pages, PDF)

  • Summary: "On March 21, we issued a final report on state transportation departments’ actions in calculating load ratings and posting weight limits on structurally deficient National Highway System bridges and FHWA's oversight of state actions. We found that inaccurate or outdated maximum weight limit calculations and posting entries were recorded in bridge databases of the state transportation departments and in the National Bridge Inventory, and that FHWA can do more to oversee states' actions in inspecting bridges, calculating load limits and posting maximum weight limits. FHWA concurred with our recommendations to revise its annual compliance reviews of state bridge programs and evaluate greater use of computerized bridges management systems."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    Call for GAO Inquiry of EPA Proposal To Limit Toxic Release Inventory Program

    Following-up to postings on proposals to limit public access to the EPA's pollution release inventory data, a bipartisan letter issued yesterday on the issue "called for an investigation into the proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) to weaken regulations that require polluters to inform the public about toxic releases."

    Related government document:

  • EPA Can Improve Emissions Factors Development and Management, Report No. 2006-P-00017 [Report - 42 pages, PDF] [At a Glance - 1 page, PDF] March 22, 2006.

  • GAO Issues Series of Reports on Critical Border Security Safety Issues

  • Border Security: Investigators Successfully Transported Radioactive Sources Across Our Nation's Borders at Selected Locations, Full-text GAO-06-545R, March 28, 2006.

  • Border Security: Investigators Transported Radioactive Sources Across Our Nation's Borders at Two Locations, Full-text GAO-06-583T, March 28, 2006. Highlights

  • Combating Nuclear Smuggling: Challenges Facing U.S. Efforts to Deploy Radiation Detection Equipment in Other Countries and in the United States, Full-text GAO-06-558T, March 28, 2006. Highlights.

  • Combating Nuclear Smuggling: Corruption, Maintenance, and Coordination Problems Challenge U.S. Efforts to Provide Radiation Detection Equipment to Other Countries, Full-text GAO-06-311, March 14, 2006. Highlights.

  • Combating Nuclear Smuggling: DHS Has Made Progress Deploying Radiation Detection Equipment at U.S. Ports-of-Entry, but Concerns Remain, Full-text GAO-06-389, March 22, 2006. Highlights.
  • How Blogs Shape the Media, Politics

    Journalist David Kline discussed the growing influence of blogs on politics and the news media during a March 20-24 rolling webchat.

  • New website from State Dept. on emerging media forthcoming at this URL
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs, E-Government
    New Searchable Online Database of Asian Language Cancer Materials

    Press release: "A searchable online database of Asian-language cancer materials has been launched by the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training (AANCART) and the American Cancer Society."

  • Asian Pacific Islander Cancer Education Materials Tool

  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    New Site, Available in 20 Languages, Welcomes Debate on Future of EU

    "Welcome to 'Debate Europe', our website for the wide debate on the future of the European Union. This website is our invitation to you to discuss with us your ideas, hopes and worries for Europe's future. With this site, we want to make contact with you and listen to what you think and propose."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government, Internet
    UK Study Notes Increased Use of Net By Women for E-Commerce

    A new study (4 pages, PDF) by the European Interactive Advertising Association indicates that although men continue to spend more time on the Internet than women, the gap is rapidly closing.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Commerce, Internet
    March 27, 2006
    CRS Report on Authority of National Security Letters

    March 21, 2006 - National Security Letters in Foreign Intelligence Investigations: A Glimpse of the Legal Background and Recent Amendments

  • "Five statutory provisions vest government agencies responsible for certain foreign intelligence investigations (principally the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]) with authority to issue written commands comparable to administrative subpoenas. These National Security Letters (NSLs) seek customer and consumer transaction information in national security investigations from communications providers, financial institutions, and credit agencies. Section 505 of the USA PATRIOT Act expanded the circumstances under which an NSL could be used. Subsequent press accounts suggested that their use had become widespread. Two lower federal courts, however, found the uncertainties, practices, and policies associated with the use of NSL authority contrary to the First Amendment right of freedom of speech, and thus brought into question the extent to which NSL authority could be used in the future. The USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act, P.L. 109-177, 120 Stat. 192 (2006) (H.R. 3199), and P.L. 109178, 120 Stat. 278 (2006) (S. 2271), amend the NSL statutes and related law to address some of the concerns raised by critics and the courts. This is an abridged version of CRS Report RL33320, National Security Letters in Foreign Intelligence Investigations: Legal Background and Recent Amendments, without the footnotes, appendices, and most of the citations to authority found in the longer report."
  • DoD Releases Reports on Iraq War and Reconstruction

    Press release: "U.S. Joint Forces Command will release on Friday, March 24 an unclassified historical report in book form on the Iraqi view of coalition military operations conducted in Iraq. Conducted by U.S. Joint Forces Command's Joint Center for Operational Analysis, the Iraqi Perspective Project (IPP) is a research effort focused on coalition military operations in Iraq from March to May 2003. This project focused on the perspectives of the Iraqi civilian and military leadership involved in major combat operations gathered through interviews conducted during the fall and winter of 2003/2004, and an extensive review of Iraqi historical documents done in the months since then."

  • Operation Iraqi Freedom: Three Year Anniversary -- Progress Fact Sheet (Word)

  • Official Reports Progress in Iraq's Reconstruction, Economic Development, March 27, 2006

  • Iraqi Perspectives Project - A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam's Senior Leadership (230 pages, PDF), March 24, 2006
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    New FEC Rules on Political Speech

  • AP: FEC Won't Regulate Internet Politics

  • New FEC Rules (96 pages, PDF)
  • Supplement to FEC Rules (13 pages, PDF)
  • Two-Page Summary of FEC Rules (PDF)

  • March 24, 2006 posting, FEC Issues Draft Final Rules on Use of Internet In Connection with Federal Elections
  • DoD Report on WMD

    National Military Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction (31 pages, PDF)

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    March 26, 2006
    Key Findings from Study of Saddam Hussein's Regime

    Saddam's Delusions: The View from the Inside, By Kevin Woods, James Lacey, and Williamson Murray, From Foreign Affairs, May/June 2006

  • "Summary: A special, double-length article from the upcoming May/June issue of Foreign Affairs, presenting key excerpts from the recently declassified book-length report of the USJFCOM Iraqi Perspectives Project."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    Testimony Regarding the 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

    03/16/06 Testimony Regarding the 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices; Barry F. Lowenkron, Assistant Secretary; Testimony Before the House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations; Washington, DC.

  • State Department's 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress
    Congresswoman Jane Harman Speaks Need for Legal Framework For Intel Gathering

    The Fog of Law: The Need for a Legal Framework for 21st Century Security Policy, Speech to the Council on Foreign Relations by Congresswoman Jane Harman, March 13, 2006.

    Aggregation of Blogs From Around The World

    Global Voices: A country-by-country aggregation of world blogs: Translations of and links to selected postings from blogs around the world.

  • See also A Daily Survey of What the International Online Media Are Saying, by Jefferson Morley.
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs
    Privacy Group Updates Chronology of Major Data Breaches

    Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, Updated March 23, 2006: A Chronology of Data Breaches Reported Since the ChoicePoint Incident

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Cybercrime, ID Theft, Privacy
    The Challenges of "Researching" in An Age of "Searching"

    New York Times Op-Ed, March 26, 2006: Searching for Dummies, by Edward Tenner.

    March 24, 2006
    FEC Issues Draft Final Rules on Use of Internet In Connection with Federal Elections

    Following up on several related postings on bloggers and campaign speech, today the FEC issued a 96 page document (PDF) promulgating its final rules that impact the publication of campaign related information. Declan McCullagh has more details and commentary.

  • March 22, 2006 - The Commission Has Published Interim Final Rules on Definitions of Federal Election Activity in Today's Federal Register

  • Ass't AG Responds to Republican and Democratic Questions On Domestic Surveillance

    In response to requests by the House Judiciary Committee members for more extensive documentation on the administration's domestic surveillance program, this afternoon DOJ released two memos (both in PDF) that supported previous statements on the issue, providing nothing of substance in the way of more details, as requested.

  • Reponse to GOP questions

  • Response to Democratic questions
  • Canada: The Government On-line initiative

    Government On-Line 2006: "This report documents the achievements of the Government On-Line initiative over six years, from 1999 to 2006. It tells of its challenges, its groundbreaking journey, and its legacy for future initiatives. Thanks to the efforts of 34 federal Departments and Agencies, you may now obtain on-line the 130 most commonly used services of the Government of Canada."

  • "The Government On-Line initiative has succeeded in making the Canadian government the world's most connected country to its citizens. Throughout the initiative, the objectives remained focused on: providing clients with a more accessible government, where information and services are organized according to clients' needs, and are available 24/7 around the world, in English or French; delivering better and more responsive services by implementing more efficient and timely electronic services; building trust and confidence in on-line service delivery by ensuring that electronic transactions are protected and secure, and that personal information is safeguarded."
  • Demands for Release of Commerce Report on Outsouring of Jobs Overseas

    ComputerWorld reports, "Democrats on the U.S. House Science Committee are demanding that the U.S. Department of Commerce release the complete version of a study that examined the impact of globalization and offshoring on U.S. jobs. The $335,000 report, originally produced in 2004, didn’t surface until last fall -- and then only as a 12-page summary offered up by the Commerce Department. The full 200-page report has never been released and the summary was never made available electronically."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    Collection of State Dept. Cables from 1973-1974 Now Searchable Online

    From the National Archives: Central Foreign Policy Files, 1973-1974: This series, popularly known as the "State Department Cables" or the "State Department Telegrams", consist of telegrams, and an index to airgrams, memoranda, correspondence, reports, diplomatic notes, and related material. The 1973 and 1974 digital and fully releasable permanent portion of this series is now accessible through Access to Archival Databases (AAD)."

    March 23, 2006
    Library Journal's 2006 Movers & Shakers

    The March 15, 2006 issue of Library Journal included a special supplement, Movers & Shakers 2006 - The People Shaping the Future of Libraries. I am honored and delighted to be included in this diverse group of professionals, all of whose work I respect and admire. I was recognized in the Innovators category, for my two sites, LLRX.com and beSpacific. Thank you to all my readers and contributors for your unflagging support, and for sharing your ideas, experiences and expertise, over these past ten years. May the next 10 be just as fulfilling and productive. With my regards - sp.

    Diverse Group of Local, State, Federal E-Gov't Programs Recognized for Excellence

    Press release: "The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government - in cooperation with the Council for Excellence in Government - today announced the Top 50 Government Innovations for 2006...Exemplifying the most innovative, creative and results-oriented efforts in government today, these programs are making a real and significant difference in the lives of countless Americans."

  • 2006 Top 50 Programs
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    ACLU Announces Representation of ISP Targeted By National Security Letter

    The ACLU posted a copy of an abridged legal statement from a second individual identified as a target of a National Security Letter, by which the FBI concurrently gags the recipient and his/her counsel while requiring the provision of demanded documentation.

    Advocacy Group Releases Badware Reports

    "Thousands of visitors to StopBadware.org have shared their badware experiences with us since we launched. From their stories, we've identified and tested four applications that contain annoying or objectionable behaviors. To find out what we think of Kazaa, MediaPipe, SpyAxe, and Screensaver.com, read our reports (all in PDF):"

  • Kazaa

  • Mediapipe

  • SpyAxe

  • Waterfalls 3

  • "Before we could aggregate and qualitatively analyze peoples' submissions, we first needed to define the parameters and essential traits of badware. With the advice and input of a panel of internet experts, we isolated six categories of behaviors that many users reported as unwanted in software they download: deceptive installations, unclearly identification, causing harm to other computers, modifying other software, transmitting user data, interfering with computer use, and being difficult to uninstall completely..." The complete guidelines, subject to updating, are here.
  • Report Finds Significant Restrictions to Formulary Drug Access for Seniors

    Press release: "Rep. Waxman releases a new report finding that 97% of plans restrict access to important drugs on their formularies through the use of prior authorization, step-therapy, and quantity limits. A telephone survey of the plans finds that they fail to adequately inform seniors of these restrictions, often providing information that is conflicting or erroneous."

  • Case Studies: The Impact of Restrictions on Seniors

  • Report: Restrictions on Access to Formulary Drugs
  • GAO Reports on Delay of Truck Armor Installation for Iraq War Operations

    Defense Logistics: Several Factors Limited the Production and Installation of Army Truck Armor During Current Wartime Operations, March 22, 2006 (69 pages, PDF)

    IRS Plan to Allow Sale of Taxpayer Data Causes Outcry

    Press release, March 22, 2006: "Following press accounts that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is considering altering privacy protections that would allow tax preparers greater freedom to sell taxpayers' personal financial information, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today wrote to IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson expressing concern over the agency’s proposals."

    Related references:

  • [Federal Register: December 8, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 235)][Proposed Rules][Page 72954-72964]: "The proposed regulations announce new and additional rules for taxpayers to consent electronically to the disclosure or use of their tax return information by tax return preparers. The proposed rules provide guidelines for tax return preparers using or disclosing information obtained in the process of preparing income tax returns."

  • Houston Chronicle: IRS plan to allow tax preparers to peddle income tax data if clients approve threatens Americans' privacy

  • New Budget Slashes Funds for Clean Air and Water, Conservation Efforts

    From the House Budget Committee Democratic staff - Environmental Funding Slashed in the President's 2007 Budget: Budget in Brief #7 - March 23, 2006 (3 pages, PDF).

    GAO Reports on HHS and CMS Info Security Vulnerabilities

    Information Security: Department of Health and Human Services Needs to Fully Implement Its Program, Full Report, GAO-06-267 and Highlights, February 24, 2006.

  • "HHS and CMS have significant weaknesses in controls designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their sensitive information and information systems. HHS computer networks and systems have numerous electronic access control vulnerabilities related to network management, user accounts and passwords, user rights and file permissions, and auditing and monitoring of security-related events. In addition, weaknesses exist in other types of controls designed to physically secure computer resources, conduct suitable background investigations, segregate duties appropriately, and prevent unauthorized changes to application software."
  • Americans Increasingly Go Online for News

    Pew Internet and American Life: "By the end of 2005, 50 million Americans got news online on a typical day, a sizable increase since 2002. Much of that growth has been fueled by the rise in home broadband connections over the last four years. For a group of "high-powered" online users – early adopters of home broadband who are the heaviest internet users – the internet is their primary news source on the average day."

  • Online News - For many home broadband users, the internet is a primary news source (27 pages, PDF), March 22, 2006.

  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet
    March 22, 2006
    Pentagon GC to Release New Rule on Evidence Obtained Via Torture

    WSJ free feature: White House Will Reverse Policy, Ban Evidence Elicited by Torture

    Foreign Direct Investment in the United States

  • Fact Sheet, Office of the Spokesman, U.S. Dept. of State, March 22, 2006: Foreign Direct Investment in the United States

  • Fact Sheet, Office of the Spokesman, U.S. Dept. of State, March 13, 2006: How Foreign Direct Investment Benefits the United States

  • Related postings on port operations
  • CIA Warns Bloggers About Obtaining Agency Approval

    USNews.com: "The CIA's Publications Review Board is sending out terse reminders to agency veterans reminding them of the rules requiring that any writings--even blogs--must first get agency approval."

    CATO Study Challenges Courts' Role in Digital Rights Management

    Circumventing Competition: The Perverse Consequences of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (PDF, 28 pages), by Timothy B. Lee

  • "The courts have a proven track record of fashioning balanced remedies for the copyright challenges created by new technologies. But when Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in 1998, it cut the courts out of this role and instead banned any devices that "circumvent" digital rights management (DRM) technologies, which control access to copyrighted content. The result has been a legal regime that reduces options and competition in how consumers enjoy media and entertainment. Today, the copyright industry is exerting increasing control over playback devices, cable media offerings, and even Internet streaming. Some firms have used the DMCA to thwart competition by preventing research and reverse engineering. Others have brought the weight of criminal sanctions to bear against critics, competitors, and researchers."
  • CDT Report Identifies Large Corporate Adware Funders

    Press release: "Large well-respected companies are helping to fund the virulent spread of unwanted and potentially harmful "adware" by paying for advertisements generated by those programs, a new report by CDT finds. In "Following the Money: How Advertising Dollars Encourage Nuisance and Harmful Adware and What Can be Done to Reverse the Trend," (10 pages, PDF) CDT details how -- through a complicated network of intermediaries -- major advertisers pay to have their products and services advertised though pop-ups and other ads generated by unwanted advertising software or "adware." The report dissects the financial relationships behind those arrangements and identifies a number of mainstream companies that advertise through one particularly unscrupulous adware distributor."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Commerce, ID Theft, Internet
    Freedominfo.org Launches Redesigned Website

    Press release: "Four years after its launch and more than 1 million hits later, freedominfo.org has a whole new look. But the dual mission of the site remains—a virtual network linking freedom of information (FOI) movements globally and an institutional memory for transparency and access to information rights throughout the world. Freedominfo.org today introduces a new, comprehensive country-by-country section that gives users access to resources about FOI laws in more than 60 countries—including background, legal texts, links to government bodies and organizations, and current news about the FOI movement in the country. As more countries move towards adopting FOI laws everyday, freedominfo.org provides vital tools for researchers, advocates, journalists, government officials, and members of the public to stay informed about the progress of the right to information, around the world and in their own backyards."

  • See also Open government advocates, media, public celebrate Sunshine Week in the United States
  • March 21, 2006
    Updated CRS Report on Terrorism and National Security

    CRS Report via FAS: Terrorism and National Security: Issues and Trends (20 pages, PDF), updated March 9, 2006.

  • "International terrorism has long been recognized as a serious foreign and domestic security threat. This issue brief examines international terrorist actions and threats and the U.S. policy response. As the 9/11 Commission report released on July 19, 2004, concludes, the United States needs to use all tools at its disposal, including diplomacy, international cooperation, and constructive engagement to economic sanctions, covert action, physical security enhancement, and military force."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    Free Online Search of 4,819 State Occupational Licensing Job Titles

    Press release: "BRB Publications recently expanded its free Resource Center and added its complete list of online accessible occupational licensing boards. The list, which is updated weekly, contains 4,819 name-searchable job titles. There is no fee, no registration nor a 20 second wait required. Go to http://www.brbpub.com/pubrecsites.asp and click on State Occupational Licensing Boards under the Free Government Public Record Sites heading."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    Google Finance Is "Early-Stage Beta Product"

    According to the Official Google Blog, Google's newly released Finance service is in beta, with additional content and features to be added in future. Currently, users are offered data in the following categories: Market Summary, Today's Headlines, Company Facts and Financials, Related company data, a Company Summary, Management info, blog posts and links to topical discussions.

  • Google Announcement, March 21, 2006, on Google Finance Beta
  • Librarian Remains Under Gag Order Due to Patriot Act

    Following up on previous postings concerning the FBI's use of National Security Letters to obtain library patron records, the New York Times reports today, Librarian Is Still John Doe, Despite Patriot Act Revision

    National Security Surveillance Act of 2006

    S. 2453 - A bill to establish procedures for the review of electronic surveillance programs; to the Committee on the Judiciary. [Congressional Record: March 16, 2006 (Senate)][Page S2316-S2376]

  • "Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I seek recognition today to introduce a bill to regulate electronic surveillance programs designed to gather intelligence for national security purposes."

  • Related postings on domestic surveillance

  • Article Reviews Substance and Services of Intelligent Digital Libraries

    What Do You Do with a Million Books? by Gregory Crane, Tufts University


    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Libraries
    FBI IG Report on Brandon Mayfield Case

    A Review of the FBI's Handling of the Brandon Mayfield Case(Unclassified and Redacted), Special Report, March 2006; HTML (Full Report Coming Soon); List of PDF Files.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    March 20, 2006
    Financial Website for Investors Launched by Google

    Google launches its challenge to financial news websites in US: "Google Finance is trumpeting features that will allow users to monitor their portfolio and get access to chief executives' pay details without wading through annual reports."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Search Engines
    Sprint Nextel Files Lawsuit Against PI Firm For Sale of Customer Phone Records

    Press release: "Sprint Nextel Corp. announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against a private investigation firm that employs deceptive practices to illegitimately obtain customer call detail records, and then sells the confidential information to online data brokers. In its complaint against San Marco & Associates of St. Petersburg, Fla., Sprint Nextel states that the company employs fraudulent tactics such as pretexting, the practice of obtaining personal information under false pretenses, to access cell phone logs and phone numbers."

  • Related postings on sale of cell phone records
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Privacy
    Report on Strategic Nuclear and Non-Nuclear Strike Systems

    Final Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Future Strategic Strike Skills (89 pages, PDF), March 2006. This report is unclassified.

    Transformational Technology Areas Critical to US and UK Defense

    Defense Critical Technologies, (151 pages, PDF), March 2006. This report is a product of the Defense Science Board (U.S.) and the Defence Scientific Advisory Council (UK). This report is unclassified.

    Comparison of Web Browsers

    Wikipedia has published an extensive comparison of over two dozen web browsers. Included is information on each respective browser's general history, features, operating system support, web technology support, languages in which the brower is available, and technical vulnerabilities. Readers note that all data is subject to verification, as this is a collaborative, open source publication.

    Enterprise Search Makes Inroads in Tackling Corporate Info Overload

    ComputerWorld reports on enterprisewide search applications implemented by large corporations for a range of tasks, including competitive intelligence, e-discovery, and generating intranet content. Solutions such as FAST, Autonomy and Endeca index formats including text, audio and video.

    DOJ Site On Overseas Legal Operations Disappears

    The Memory Hole has recovered content from the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) website, apparently removed from public access within the past month. The recovered website pages have been posted by Russ Kick here.

    2003-4 Statutes at Large Online From GPO

    The United States Statutes at Large (Volume 117, 108th Congress) is now available online from the U.S. Government Printing Office, with future volumes to follow as they become available.

    Global Phishing Enforcement Initiative Launched By Microsoft

    Press release: "Neil Holloway, president of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), unveiled a global law enforcement campaign that will target cybercriminals behind phishing attacks. Microsoft Corp. announced that by the end of June 2006 it will have initiated legal actions on more than 100 cases in EMEA against individuals suspected of committing online fraud; 53 of these will have already started by the end of March 2006...The legal actions are linked to a larger Microsoft(R) program, the Global Phishing Enforcement Initiative (GPEI), launched by the company to coordinate and expand its many anti-phishing efforts worldwide to fight phishers through consumer protection, partnerships and prosecution."

    GAO Reports on Costs and Failures Associated With FBI IT Upgrade

    Federal Bureau of Investigation: Weak Controls over Trilogy Project Led to Payment of Questionable Contractor Costs and Missing Assets, Full-text, GAO-06-306, and Highlights, February 28, 2006.

  • "The Trilogy project--initiated in 2001--is the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) largest information technology (IT) upgrade to date. While ultimately successful in providing updated IT infrastructure and systems, Trilogy was not a success with regard to upgrading FBI's investigative applications. Further, the project was plagued with missed milestones and escalating costs, which eventually totaled nearly $537 million."
  • March 19, 2006
    Libby Court Filing Names Other Gov't Officials As Source of Plame CIA Leak

    As reported by Raw Story tonight, a filing on March 17 by Libby's defense names current and former White House and State Department officials as having leaked the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame prior to Libby's dissemination of the information.

  • AP: Potential witnesses in the upcoming criminal trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, as referenced in court papers by Libby's lawyers.
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    Audit Assesses DHS Port Security Program Grants

    Follow Up Review of the Port Security Grant Program, OIG-0-6-24, February 2006 (Revised) (PDF, 37 pages) - New 03/15/2006.

  • Related postings on port operations
  • New Book Analyzes Obstacles to Advancement for Women in Law Firms

    New York Times, March 18, 2006: Why Do So Few Women Reach the Top of Big Law Firms?

  • Ending the Gauntlet: Removing Barriers to Women's Success in the Law, by Lauren Stiller Rikleen
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Marketing
    Report By GAO on Airport Security Vulnerabilities Designated Classified

    Press release, Cmte. on Homeland Security, Democratic Office, March 17, 2006: "News reports today disclosed the results of a government investigation into airport security vulnerabilities. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigatory arm of Congress, conducted a clandestine review of airport security throughout the country. While the report remains classified and has not yet been released, news reports indicate that bomb making materials were passed through Transportation Security Administration passenger screening at 21 airports, without being detected...This morning, Ranking Member Thompson requested that the Committee on Homeland Security hold a hearing to review security vulnerabilities at our nation's airports and rectify problems at the TSA (read the letter here)."

    March 17, 2006
    Google Claims Victory in Fight With DOJ Over Search Records

    From the Official Google Blog: Judge tells DoJ "No" on search queries, Posted by Nicole Wong, Associate General Counsel: "Google will not have to hand over any user's search queries to the government. That's what a federal judge ruled today when he decided to drastically limit a subpoena issued to Google by the Department of Justice. [Today's ruling, 21 pages (PDF) and the government's original subpoena.)

  • Related postings on DOJ's legal efforts to obtain specific Google database search records
  • FTC Testifies on Security Issues in Global Information-based Economy

    Press release, March 16, 2006: The Federal Trade Commission today told the House Committee on Small Business, Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight that protecting consumers' privacy rights is a top priority for the agency. Lydia Parnes, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, told the Committee, "The Commission is committed to aggressive law enforcement, vigorous consumer and business education efforts, and global cooperation to safeguard the security of consumers’ personal information." To date, the agency has brought 12 data security cases, six spyware and adware cases, more than a dozen financial pretexting cases, and more than 80 spam cases.

  • Prepared Statement (17 pages, PDF) of the Federal Trade Commission: On The State of Small Business Security In A Cyber Economy, Presented by Lydia Parnes, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Before the Subcommittee On Regulatory Reform and Oversight of the Committee on Small Business, United States House of Representatives. (March 16, 2006)
  • Transcript of Supreme Court Oral Arguments in Texas Redistricting Case

    Supreme Court transcript [115 pages, PDF], 05-204. League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry (3/1/06)

    High Tech Port Security Already Tested Abroad

    A Homegrown Solution for Safe Ports

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    Document Request on Cases Compromised by Domestic Surveillance Program

    Press release: Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) Friday sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [text included in the press release] seeking information on court cases that may have been compromised by the Bush Administration’s illegal domestic spying program..Leahy...and Kennedy...ask Gonzales to provide the committee with information on all legal challenges where parties in the case are claiming evidence was illegally obtained through the illegal program or any others operated outside the law."

  • Related postings on domestic surveillance

  • CDT: NSA Domestic Snooping - Resources
  • Copyright Case Against Google Dismissed

    WSJ free feature - Google Wins Copyright Battle; Archiving Issue Is Still Unclear: "A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing Google Inc. of wrongful conduct, including copyright infringement and defamation, providing the latest court opinion to weigh in on the contentious area of search engines and copyright."

    March 16, 2006
    Passage of House Bill Undermines State Credit Freeze Laws

    U.S. Newswire: "The House Financial Services Committee voted today to repeal strict state notification and credit freeze laws that have helped to protect consumers from identity theft and financial fraud. These laws provide essential protections that allow consumers to prevent identity thieves from opening credit accounts in their names and require companies to inform consumers when their personal data -- such as their Social Security and credit card numbers -- have become compromised."

  • H.R. 3997 - To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to provide for secure financial data, and for other purposes.

  • Key Features Enhance Website Design and Usability

    Four Modes of Seeking Information and How to Design for Them, by Donna Maurer.

    Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006 Introduced Today

    The introduction of the Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006 today has raised concerns for reporters, bloggers and advocates for civil liberties. The bill "authorizes the President to conduct an electronic surveillance program, without court order, for up to 45 days..."

  • ACLU Letter to the Senate Expressing Strong Opposition to the Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006, Authorizing Warrantless Surveillance By the National Security Agency

  • Center for National Security Studies' Director Kate Martin is quoted as saying, "The bill would make it a crime to tell the American people that the president is breaking the law, and the bill could make it a crime for the newspapers to publish that fact..."

  • Text of the bill

  • Related postings on domestic surveillance
  • CALL Conference Blog Launched

    Steve Matthews, Michael Lines and Connie Crosby have launched a first ever blog for the CALL conference. [thanks Connie]

    Declassified Iraq Intel Documents Released by Gov't

  • Press release: Office of the Director of National Intelligence Releases Captured Documents - March 16, 2006

  • "At the request of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the US Army Foreign Military Studies Office has created this portal to provide the general public with access to unclassified documents and media captured during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The US Government has made no determination regarding the authenticity of the documents, validity or factual accuracy of the information contained therein, or the quality of any translations, when available." [Note: many of the documents (PDF) are in Arabic with some side by side English translations. A brief synopsis is provided for a number of the documents.]


  • The documents are organized in the following categories: Operation Iraqi Freedom; Audio File Transcripts; and Al-Qa'ida ("...a collection of newly-released al-Qa’ida documents captured during recent operations in support of the Global War on Terror and maintained in the Department of Defense's Harmony database. In the text of these documents, readers will see how explicit al-Qa'ida has been in its internal discussions covering a range of organizational issues, particularly regarding the internal structure and functioning of the movement as well as with tensions that emerged within the leadership.")
  • Notice that appears on the document portal: "The Government may monitor and audit the usage of this system, and all persons are hereby notified that use of this system constitutes consent to such monitoring and auditing."

  • Additional documents (in both English and Arabic) are available from the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point: Documents from the Harmony Database

  • Libby's Defense Widens Demand for Documents from Reporters

    AP reports that Libby's lawyers have subpoenaed the New York Times, Time magazine and NBC to obtain additional documents from Judy Miller, Matt Cooper and Tim Russert.

  • Related postings on the Plame CIA leak
  • Report Outlines Battle Plan to Combat Phishing

    Press release: "Consumer confidence in conducting business and protecting personal data online is threatened every day by phishing scams. In an initiative led by the National Consumers League (NCL), law enforcement, financial services and technical industries have joined forces to combat this threat. The group today issued a "call to action" with the release of a paper outlining key recommendations that form a comprehensive plan for combating phishing more effectively."

  • A Call for Action (66 pages, PDF)
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Cybercrime, ID Theft, Privacy
    Federal Computer Security Gets Failing Grade

    Government Reform Committee Oversight Hearing: No Computer System Left Behind: A Review of the 2005 Federal Computer Security Scorecards, March 16, 2006.

  • Please note, the links to the House Committee originally cited in this posting are no longer available. For alternative access to the some of the same information, please see the following:
  • Washington Post: DHS Gets Another F in Computer Security - Annual 'Report Card' Contends Many Key Agencies Don't Adequately Protect Networks

  • FEDERAL COMPUTER SECURITY REPORT CARD, March 16, 2006

  • Federal Computer Security Grades, 2001-2005, Wednesday, March 15, 2006



  • [Link to witness statements and related documentation]
  • "Background: Our economy and government have become more and more dependent on information technology and the Internet. Government agencies have improved the efficiency of their operations and services to citizens through electronic government initiatives. Given the interconnectivity of systems, all it takes is one weak link to break the chain. We must guard our information systems from hackers, terrorists, hostile foreign governments, and identity thieves to protect our national security, allow for continuity of government operations, and ensure the privacy of citizens’ personal information. An attack could originate anywhere at anytime. Unfortunately, last year's overall grade for the government was only a D+."

  • Computer Security Report Card 2005 (1 page, PDF)
    "... agency compliance with the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)."
  • Sixth Report Card on Computer Security at Federal Departments and Agencies: Overall Grade D+ (1 page, PDF)
  • Federal Computer Security Grades - 2001-2005 (1 page, PDF)
  • How Grades Were Assigned (3 pages, PDF)

  • March 15, 2006
    Redaction of Confidential Info in Documents to be Distributed as PDF

    Adobe whitepaper, Redaction of Confidential Information in a Document: "How to safely remove sensitive information from Microsoft Word documents and convert to PDF"

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Records
    NSA Oversight Act Introduced

    Press release: "On Thursday, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA)...[introduced] legislation to address the NSA's warrantless surveillance of Americans on American soil...The bill, the NSA OVERSIGHT ACT, would:

  • Reiterate Current FISA and Wiretap Laws - states that FISA and the federal criminal wiretap statutes shall continue to be the exclusive means by which domestic electronic surveillance may be conducted.

  • Clarify Military Force Statute - makes clear that the Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF), passed days after the September 11th attacks, does not contain any exception to that rule.
    Require Congressional Action - makes clear that the above-mentioned laws apply unless Congress amends the laws or passes additional laws regarding electronic surveillance.

  • Report on the Extent of the Wiretapping Program - requires the President to disclose to Congress information about U.S. persons who have been the subject of any such electronic surveillance."

  • Related postings on domestic surveillance
  • Summary and Analysis of Proposed Legislative Changes to FOIA in 2005

    From the First Amendment Center, Kevin Goldberg summarizes federal legislation in 2005 that involved FOIA issues, and comments on the status of the proposals.

  • Postings since 2002 on FOIA
  • Business Organizations Urge Congress to Set Guidelines for Foreign Investment in the U.S.

    Press release: Business Roundtable joined with other U.S. business organizations today to urge Congress to apply a specific set of principles when considering any legislation that would impact current laws governing review of foreign investment in the United States. The eight business groups delivered Principles to Guide National Security Reviews of Foreign Investment to all Members of Congress today."

  • Related postings on port operations
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress, Legislation
    Supreme Court Justices Threatened, and Federal Judges Seek Increased Security

    As reported today by Tony Mauro in the Legal Times, Justice Ginsburg Acknowledges Death Threat Against Her. Justice Ginsburg spoke about the threats against her and Justice O'Connor in a February 7, 2006 speech delivered to the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Retired Justice O'Connor has also recently spoken out about critics of the court who threaten its independence, and apparently the lives of those who serve as well. Threats to judges have become so widespread, that according to AP, "Three quarters of the nation's 2,200 federal judges have asked for government-paid home security systems."

  • See also, Increased Security Funded for Judges and Judges Plead for Improved Judicial Security.
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Courts
    California AG Sues Company For Sale of Cell Phone Records

    Press release: California "Attorney General Bill Lockyer, in the first enforcement action resulting from his ongoing investigation into the sale of cell phone records, today filed a $10 million-plus lawsuit against Data Trace USA, Inc. (Data Trace) that alleges the firm unlawfully obtained and sold wireless customers' confidential monthly call records."

    Related documents, legislation and postings:

  • The People of the State of California v. Data Trace USA, Inc., Complaint (3-14-06).pdf

  • California Bill Would Ban "Pretexting"
  • Postings on sale of cell phone records

  • Website Tracks Censorship in Search Results

    "Welcome to CenSEARCHip! This is a tool developed by Mark Meiss and Filippo Menczer at the Indiana University School of Informatics in March of 2006 to allow you to explore the differences in the results returned by different countries' versions of the major search engines. We currently work with the Web search and image search functions of four national versions of Google and Yahoo!: the United States, China, France, and Germany."

    March 14, 2006
    Online Archive of Historical Documents From Institutions Around the World

    "ArchiveGrid is an important destination for searching through historical documents, personal papers, and family histories held in archives around the world. Thousands of libraries, museums, and archives have contributed nearly a million collection descriptions to ArchiveGrid. Researchers searching ArchiveGrid can learn about the many items in each of these collections, contact archives to arrange a visit to examine materials, and order copies. ArchiveGrid is available to both individuals and institutions free of charge through May 31st. If additional grants funds or sponsorship are obtained, ArchiveGrid will remain free of charge; otherwise subscriptions will be available for institutions and individuals alike."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Knowledge Management
    Advocacy Groups Support Protections for Blogger's Speech on the Net

    Op-Ed in Roll Call by CDT Officials Supports Protecting Bloggers without Opening Soft Money Loopholes in the Campaign Finance Laws: "H.R. 4900 protects bloggers and small speakers far better than does H.R 1606, and by design, it does not create other loopholes in the campaign finance laws. Those who truly want to protect bloggers and ordinary citizens should support H.R. 4900. Those whose real goal is to undermine campaign finance laws should support H.R. 1606, which provides only limited protection to online speakers."

  • Related reference, House Cmte. Approves Exemption For Bloggers From FEC Regulations
  • Judicial Business of the United States Courts 2005

    Legal Decisions, Legislation & Forces of Nature Influence Federal Court Caseload in FY 2005: "Caseload statistics of the federal courts are compiled by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts...For the tenth consecutive record-breaking year, filings in the 12 regional courts of appeals rose 9 percent to an all-time high of 68,473...Civil filings fell 10 percent to 253,273 in FY 2005; over a five year period, civil filings have climbed one percent...Nationwide, criminal filings in the U.S. district courts fell 2 percent to 69,575 in FY 2005, and the number of defendants in these cases dropped 1 percent to 92,226...Bankruptcy filings in the federal courts climbed 10 percent to 1,782,643, for a new record in FY 2005."

  • Judicial Business (28 pages, PDF and Supplemental Tables
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Courts, Legal Research
    Consumer Product Safety Commission GC Opinions

    Office of General Counsel Advisory Opinions ["This index is intended to assist in locating Opinions on a particular subject, but the CPSC does not attest to its accuracy."]

    The SAFE Port Act of 2006

    Press release: "Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity, and Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, introduced the Security and Accountability For Every (SAFE) Port Act today, March 14, 2006."

  • Fact Sheet, The SAFE Port Act of 2006

  • WSJ Free Feature: DP World Tried to Soothe U.S. Waters - An Extraordinary Package Of Port Security Measures Failed to Keep Deal Intact

  • AP: E-Mail Casts Doubt on DP World's Plans

  • Related postings on port operations
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress, Legislation
    Offshoring of Computing and IT Jobs

    Globalization and Offshoring of Software - A Report of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Job Migration Task Force, William Aspray, Frank Mayadas, Moshe Y. Vardi, Editors

  • "This study reports on the findings of the Job Migration Task Force established by ACM to examine the issues surrounding the migration of jobs within the computing and information technology field and industry."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Knowledge Management
    Agency Management of Sensitive Information Questioned by GAO

  • Managing Sensitive Information: Departments of Energy and Defense Policies and Oversight Could Be Improved, GAO-06-369, March 7, 2006. Full text | Highlights: "...the lack of training requirements and oversight of the Official Use Only (OUO) and For Official Use Only (FOUO) programs leave DOE and DOD officials unable to assure that OUO and FOUO documents are marked and handled in a manner consistent with agency policies and may result in inconsistencies and errors in the application of the programs."

  • Managing Sensitive Information: DOE and DOD Could Improve Their Policies and Oversight GAO-06-531T, March 14, 2006. Full text | Highlights.


  • Related government documents:
  • Assessment of the Controls and Security of NARA Classified Systems, OIG Report 04-10, March 31, 2004 [m.r.]

  • Also from FAS, Other Government Documents on Secrecy and Security Policy
  • and CRS repoort, 'Sensitive But Unclassified' Information and Other Controls: Policy and Options for Scientific and Technical Information," dated February 15, 2006 (published March 14, 2006).

    Judge Backs DOJ In Google Info Release Case

    Following up on recent postings about Google's legal battle with the DOJ, today District Court Judge James Ware indicated he will require Google to provide user generated search data, but with the caveat that he was concerned about use of such data for surveillance purposes. In addition, the government has reportedly scaled back the scope of its data request.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Privacy
    70th Anniversary of the Federal Register

    Press release, March 10, 2006, The National Archives and GPO Celebrate 70th Anniversary of the Federal Register: "...over the past two years, the public has downloaded almost 200 million Federal Register documents each year. During each of the past ten years, the Federal Register has published more than 70 thousand pages of rulemaking documents."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    GAO Report on Challenges to Spectrum Reform

    Telecommunications: Options for and Barriers to Spectrum Reform. GAO-06-526T, March 14, 2006. Full text | Highlights.

  • "The radio-frequency spectrum is used to provide an array of wireless communications services that are critical to the U.S. economy and various government missions, such as national security. With demand for spectrum exploding, and most useable spectrum allocated to existing users, there is growing concern that the current spectrum management framework might not be able to respond adequately to future demands. This testimony, which is based on previous GAO reports, provides information on (1) the extent to which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted market-based mechanisms for commercial use, (2) the extent to which market-based mechanisms have been adopted for federal government users of spectrum, (3) options for improving spectrum management, and (4) potential barriers to spectrum reform."

  • Wireless Issues/Spectrum Reform, Full Committee Hearing,
    Tuesday, March 14 2006 - Senate Commerce Committee [Links to opening remarks and witness testimony].

  • FOI Audit of Gov't Policies on Sensitive Unclassified Info

    Press release: "The first-ever government-wide audit of the ways that federal agencies mark and protect information that is unclassified but sensitive for security reasons has found 28 different and uncoordinated policies, none of which include effective oversight or monitoring of how many records are marked and withheld, by whom, or for how long. The audit began in February 2005 with Freedom of Information requests from the National Security Archive at George Washington University, to more than 40 agencies, for copies of their policies and guidelines on "sensitive unclassified information."

  • Pseudo-Secrets: A Freedom of Information Audit of the U.S. Government's Policies on Sensitive Unclassified Information, Entire Report in PDF

  • Executive Summary

  • Recommendations

  • Methodology

  • Appendix 1 - Chart: Card Memorandum FOIA Requests, Summary of Agency Processing

  • Appendix 2 - Chart: Impact of Card Memorandum, By Agency

  • Appendix 3 - Chart: Sensitive Unclassified Information FOIA Requests, Summary of Agency Processing

  • Appendix 4 - Chart: Sensitive Unclassified Information, Policies by Agency

  • Appendix 5 - Chart: Sensitive Unclassified Information, Distinct Policies

  • Appendix 6 - Glossary of Acronyms

  • Related postings on document overclassification
  • March 13, 2006
    Sunshine Week 2006: March 12-18

    Sunshine Week press release: "Two national polls conducted on the eve of the second national Sunshine Week open government initiative, March 12-18, show a public that equates open government with effective democracy and is concerned about the rise in official secrecy at the national, state and local levels."

  • Scripps Survey Research Center poll

  • Washington State University in Pullman poll
  • NY Announces Settlement in Largest Privacy Breach to Date

    Press release: "Attorney General Eliot Spitzer today announced a settlement to address what may have been the largest breach of privacy in internet history. The settlement with Datran Media, a leading e-mail marketer, follows an investigation that identified the improper disclosure of the personal information of more than six million American consumers."

  • Assurance of Discontinuance
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Cybercrime, E-Mail, Privacy
    National Security Archive FOIA Audit Identifies Continued Backlog

    "Press release: The oldest Freedom of Information requests still pending in the U.S. government date back to 1989, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, according to the Freedom of Information Audit released [March 12] by the National Security Archive at the George Washington University."

    Taxpayers Alerted to Escalation in Phishing Scams

  • U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration: Taxpayers Beware of Widespread Phishing Schemes Involving the IRS

  • IRS: Phishing, Identity Theft and Scams
  • Washington Post Spotlights GPO's Digital Future

    Confronting Digital Age Head-On GPO Aims to Secure All Government Documents Online:" For most of U.S. history, any government agency that needed to print many copies of a document went to the GPO. Now, about half of government documents go straight online, forcing the printing agency to find new ways to make itself relevant in an increasingly paperless world. But questions of security, privacy and authenticity have confronted the GPO leadership as it has sought to get up to date in the digital age."

  • See also GPO Launches Enhanced Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
  • State of the News Media 2006

    Project for Excellence in Journalism: "The State of the News Media 2006 is the third in our annual effort to provide a comprehensive look each year at the state of American journalism. Our goal is to put in one place as much original and aggregated data as possible about each of the major journalism sectors (Newspaper, Online, Blogs, Network TV, Cable TV, Local TV, Magazines, Radio, Ethnic)."

  • A Day in the Life of the Media - Blogs: "In one sense, blogging is all about transparency — embedded link upon embedded link. But if one is looking for sourcing in a journalistic sense — an original source — there is a lot missing. Bloggers link to others but tell readers very little about who those fellow bloggers are, their backgrounds or what if any expertise, relationship or bias they may have on the subject at hand. And if the original blogger who raised an issue is passing something along second hand, by the time it may get to the fourth reference it requires some diligence to realize the absence of a direct source in the first place."
  • Reporters Group Tracks Missing Dockets

    Research on the Case Management/Electronic Case File system (PACER), conducted by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP), documented 469 missing criminal cases and 65 missing civil cases over the five-year period of Jan. 1, 2001 to Dec. 31, 2005.

    Also from the RCFP:

  • This related editorial, In search of the secret docket

  • A summary of the docket listings in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

  • FBI OIG Audit of Yet Another Online Case Management System

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Pre-Acquisition Planning for and Controls over the Sentinel Case Management System, Audit Report 06-14, March 2006 (PDF)

  • "In March 2005, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) terminated a 3-year, $170 million effort to develop a modern case management system called the Virtual Case File (VCF) and announced a new project called Sentinel. As detailed in the Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) February 2005 audit report on the FBI's larger Trilogy Information Technology Modernization Project, the VCF project failed for a variety of reasons, including poorly defined design requirements, lack of mature Information Technology Investment Management (ITIM) processes, and poor management continuity and oversight. With Sentinel, the FBI is relying on improved management processes, use of commercially available components, and a four-phase approach over 39 to 48 months to develop a replacement for its obsolete Automated Case Support (ACS) system. As of February 2006, the FBI had not disclosed its specific cost estimates for Sentinel because the contract to a private information technology (IT) systems developer had not yet been awarded. However, in response to congressional inquiries, the FBI has cited a cost between $400-$500 million to develop the system. According to the FBI, a more precise cost estimate will be available once the FBI awards the Sentinel contract in calendar year 2006."

  • Related postings on FBI's case management system issues
  • CIA Wins Award for Worst FOIA Compliance by a Gov't Agency in 2005

    Press release: CIA Wins 2006 "Rosemary Award" for Worst Freedom of Information Performance by a Federal Agency

  • "The Central Intelligence Agency has won the second annual Rosemary Award, recognizing the worst performance by a federal agency in complying with the Freedom of Information Act. The Award is named after President Nixon's secretary Rosemary Woods and the backwards-leaning stretch which she testified resulted in her erasing eighteen-and-a-half minutes from a key Watergate conversation on the White House tapes. National Security Archive director Thomas Blanton announced today that this year's Rosemary goes to the Central Intelligence Agency, for what he called "the most dramatic one-year drop-off in professionalism and responsiveness to the public we have seen in 20 years of monitoring federal government compliance with the freedom of information law."

  • March 12, 2006
    Feingold to Introduce Resolution to Censure President

    Press release: "U.S. Senator Russ Feingold has announced that he will introduce a resolution (text - in PDF) in the U.S. Senate on Monday to censure the President of the United States. Feingold's resolution condemns the President's actions in authorizing the illegal wiretapping program and then misleading the country about the existence and legality of the program. Feingold calls the resolution an appropriate and responsible step for Congress to take in response to the President's undermining of the separation of powers and ignoring the rule of law."

    The press release referenced above includes the text of a Fact Sheet from U.S. Senator Russ Feingold on his Resolution to Censure the President, which includes the following statements:

  • "The President Broke the Law by Wiretapping Outside of FISA: It Is Illegal to Wiretap Without the Requisite Warrant or Court Order: The law is clear that the criminal wiretap statute and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) "shall be the exclusive means by which electronic surveillance...and the interception of domestic wire, oral, and electronic communications may be conducted."

  • The President Made Misleading Arguments Defending his Wiretapping Program: Military Force Resolution Did Not Authorize Wiretapping: The President has argued that Congress gave him authority to wiretap Americans on U.S. soil without a warrant when it passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force after September 11, 2001. There is no language in the resolution and no evidence to suggest that it was intended to give the President authority to order these warrantless wiretaps. Warrantless domestic surveillance is not an “incident of war” akin to detaining an enemy soldier on the battlefield as the Administration has argued."

  • Remarks of Senator Russ Feingold Introducing a Resolution to Censure President George W. Bush, As Prepared, March 13, 2006



  • Related postings on domestic surveillance
  • Report Examines Rearchitecting OPAC and Delivery of Bibliographic Services

    Rethinking How We Provide Bibliographic Services for the University of California, Final Report, December 2005 (80 pages, PDF).

  • Executive Summary: "...The continuing proliferation of formats, tools, services, and technologies has upended how we arrange, retrieve, and present our holdings. Our users expect simplicity and immediate reward and Amazon, Google, and iTunes are the standards against which we are judged. Our current systems pale beside them. The current Library catalog is poorly designed for the tasks of finding, discovering, and selecting the growing set of resources available in our libraries...We need to look seriously at opportunities to centralize and/or better coordinate services and data, while maintaining appropriate local control, as a way of reducing effort and complexity and of redirecting resources to focus on improving the user experience. Books are not going away. Traditional information formats are, however, being used in combination with a multitude of new and evolving formats. It is our responsibility to assist our users in finding what they need without demanding that they acquire specialized knowledge or select among an array of 'silo' systems whose distinctions seem arbitrary."

  • Rights Group Files Motion Challenging Legality of Domestic Surveillance Program

    Press release: "In New York on March 9, 2006, attorneys with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed a significant motion for summary judgment in the challenge to the legality of the NSA Domestic Spying Program (CCR v. Bush), asserting that the Bush Administration has already admitted enough incriminating facts to prove the NSA Program is illegal."

  • Summary Judgement

  • Statement of Material Facts Not In Dispute

  • Notice of Motion

  • Goodman Affirmation
  • March 11, 2006
    Resources on Filing FOIA Requests and Interview With Open Records Expert

  • USNews.com: Finding out what Uncle Sam has on you: "The U.S. Freedom of Information Act is approaching its 40th birthday. Given that March 12 begins national Sunshine Week–an effort to cast light onto the growing recesses of government secrecy–U.S. News is providing links so its readers can file requests for federal records under the FOIA and its sister statute, the Privacy Act. The process is surprisingly simple."

  • USAToday.com: Sunshine Week information

  • Secrecy Under Scrutiny, By David E. Kaplan: "March 12 to 18 is the second annual Sunshine Week, a nationwide initiative backed by the news media and watchdog groups to spark dialogue on the importance of open government. At a time of increasingly frequent battles over access to government records, U.S. News sat down with Steven Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists, to discuss his relentless push for greater freedom of information. For 15 years, Aftergood has fought for open records and accountability in government. His online newsletter, Secrecy News, is required reading for those who follow national security policy in Washington, D.C."
  • CBO Cost Estimate for Phone Privacy Act

    H.R. 4709, Law Enforcement and Phone Privacy Protection Act of 2006, March 9, 2006 - Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary on March 2, 2006.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress, Legislation, Privacy
    Internet Free Speech Protection Act of 2006

    H.R. 4900: Internet Free Speech Protection Act of 2006 - To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to exclude certain communications made over the Internet from certain requirements of such Act, and for other purposes.

  • See also House Cmte. Approves Exemption For Bloggers From FEC Regulations
  • March 10, 2006
    New Bill Includes Penalties for Reporting on Domestic Surveillance

    AP: "Reporters who write about government surveillance could be prosecuted under proposed legislation that would solidify the administration's eavesdropping authority, according to some legal analysts who are concerned about dramatic changes in U.S. law."

  • Related postings on domestic surveillance

  • Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Speaks Out

    NPR: "Newly retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor took on conservative Republican critics of the courts in a speech Thursday. She told an audience at Georgetown University that Republican proposals, and their sometimes uncivil tone, pose a danger to the independence of the judiciary, and the freedoms of all Americans."

    DOJ Removes Open Hearing Transcript From NORAD Site

    Declan McCullagh reported that NORAD orders Web deletion of transcript: "In an unusual follow-up to a public event, the Defense Department has ordered that a transcript of an open hearing on aviation restrictions be yanked from the Web."

  • North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)

  • See also Current Administration Classifying Documents at Unprecedented Rate and the 2005 Secrecy Report Card
  • DOJ Seeks to Compel Google's Release of Search Data

    Feds suggest 21-day deadline for Google subpoena
    The U.S. Justice Department has set a suggested deadline for Google to hand over information about its users' search habits: 21 days."

  • Related postings on DOJ's legal efforts to obtain specific Google database search records
  • FOIA Lawsuit Yields DOJ Email on Warrantless Wiretapping

    National Security Archive press release: "The Justice Department official who oversaw national security matters from 2000 to 2003 e-mailed his former colleagues after revelation of the controversial warrantless wiretapping program in December 2005 that the Department's justifications for the program were "weak" and had a "slightly after-the-fact quality" to them, and surmised that this reflected "the VP's philosophy that the best defense is a good offense," according to documents released through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the Electronic Privacy Information Center and joined by the ACLU and the National Security Archive."

    See also:
    ACLU Asks Federal Court to Block Illegal Spying Program, Citing "Concrete Harm" to Americans: "Saying that the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping of Americans is flatly illegal and unconstitutional, the American Civil Liberties Union today asked a federal court in Detroit to block the program immediately."

  • Related postings on domestic surveillance

  • Libby Granted Access to Summaries of PDBs - Did Greymail Succeed?

    Following-up on two recent postings, CIA Opposes Document Release for Libby Case and Decision on Key Documents in Libby Case Pending Judge's Determination, today U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton granted Libby access to summaries of the President's Daily Briefings (PDBs) for a range of specific dates, rather than the full text of the documents, for a 10 month period, as requested. The judge stated, "It is inconceivable that the defendant's memory of matters of significance to him have totally vanished and would not be refreshed upon viewing the general description of those matters.."

  • See also Fitzgerald Contends Libby Using Graymail Defense, and these other postings on the Plame CIA Leak investigation.
  • Two GAO Reports Address E911 Funds for Wireless Services

  • Telecommunications: States' Collection and Use of Funds for Wireless Enhanced 911 Services. Full text, GAO-06-338, March 10, 2006: Highlights

  • Survey on State Wireless E911 Funds. Full text, GAO-06-400SP, March 10, 2006
  • March 09, 2006
    List of CIA Films Housed At National Archives

    As posted on the Memory Hole: "After a certain number of years, the CIA, like many other agencies, turns over its films and other documents to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The lengthy list of CIA films at the Archives has never been publicly released, but researcher Michael Ravnitzky requested and received a copy from NARA...Many of the films were created by the CIA, and some - such as news reports and the occasional Hollywood movie - were not. Unfortunately, there's no indication of authorship in the list, though you can sometimes tell by the title."

    Port Operations Controversy Abruptly Ends With Transfer of Control to U.S. Entity

    Several weeks of contentious debate on the port operations deal have apparently been resolved with today's brief press release by DP World stating the company will transfer operations to an unnamed U.S. entity.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress
    DOJ IG Audit Report on Electronic Surveillance

    The Implementation of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, Audit Report 06-13, [Redacted] March 2006 (PDF)

  • Executive Summary: "Criminal organizations and individuals frequently use the telecommunications systems of the United States to further serious violent crimes, including terrorism, kidnapping, extortion, organized crime, drug trafficking, and public corruption. One of the most effective tools law enforcement uses to investigate these crimes is court-authorized electronic surveillance. However, continuing advances in telecommunications technology have impaired and in some instances prevented telecommunications carriers from assisting law enforcement in conducting court-authorized electronicsurveillance....The OIG initiated this audit to: (1) review CALEA implementation costs and progress; (2) review the impediments to CALEA implementation, including the effects of emerging technologies; and (3) determine how the implementation of CALEA, or lack thereof, impacts federal, state, and local law enforcement in its ability to conduct electronic surveillance....CALEA requires telecommunications carriers (carriers) to modify the design of their equipment, facilities, and services to ensure that law enforcement can perform electronic surveillance (for purposes of this report, the term electronic surveillance is used only in the sense of the real-time interception of information)."

  • Justice Dept. Report Cites F.B.I. Violations: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation found apparent violations of its own wiretapping and other intelligence-gathering procedures more than 100 times in the last two years, and problems appear to have grown more frequent in some crucial respects, a Justice Department report released Wednesday said."

  • Related postings on CALEA
  • State Department's 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

    Press release [note - includes links to specific reports organized by hemisphere and country]: "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" is submitted to the Congress by the Department of State in compliance with sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended, and section 504 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. The law provides that the Secretary of State shall transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, by February 25 "a full and complete report regarding the status of internationally recognized human rights, within the meaning of subsection (A) in countries that receive assistance under this part, and (B) in all other foreign countries which are members of the United Nations and which are not otherwise the subject of a human rights report under this Act."

  • Preface

  • Overview and Acknowledgements

  • Introduction
  • House Cmte. Approves Exemption For Bloggers From FEC Regulations

    H.R. 1606, To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to exclude communications over the Internet from the definition of public communication, was passed by the House Administration Committee today, by voice vote.

  • Press release: "The Committee on House Administration (CHA) by unanimous voice vote Thursday approved legislation that would free bloggers and other Internet communicators from possible regulation by the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). Chairman Vernon J. Ehlers, R-Mich., said the Online Freedom of Speech Act (H.R. 1606) was necessary to "allow bloggers and other online activists to express their views on the Internet without fear of running afoul of our campaign finance laws."
  • Chairman Ehlers opening statement


  • Related resources:
  • Small Donors to 2004 Campaigns Marked Watershed Says Report

  • Advocacy Group Proposes Legislation to Protection Online Political Speech
  • GAO Reports on Computerized Statewide Voter Registration Efforts

    Election Reform: Nine States' Experiences Implementing Federal Requirements for Computerized Statewide Voter Registration Lists, February 7, 2006. [Full Text | Highlights]

  • "The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) was enacted in part to help ensure that only eligible persons are registered to vote. Under HAVA, as of January 1, 2004, states were to create computerized statewide voter registration lists to serve as official rosters of legally registered voters for elections for federal office. States, however, were given the option to seek a waiver to postpone implementation of HAVA provisions until 2006. All but nine states did so. This report discusses the experiences of the nine states that were subject to the original HAVA deadline--Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Minnesota, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia."
  • House Cmte. Approves Bill to Stop Sale of Cell Phone Records

    Press release: "The House Energy and Commerce Committee took steps Wednesday to protect consumers' privacy by unanimously approving the Prevention of Fraudulent Access to Phone Records Act. The bill will not only stop data sellers from lying to obtain individual consumers' personal phone records, but also fine telephone companies that don't do enough to protect this information."

  • Related postings on sale of cell phone records
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress, Legislation, Privacy
    Most Website Search Engines Fail Users

    March 1, 2006, It's Time To Update Site Search Functionality, by Iris Cremers with Jaap Favier, Kerry Bodine

  • Summary: "Forrester reviewed 179 Web sites with its updated Web Site Review methodology. One of the criteria looks at the site's search engine and search interface — and more than half of the sites we reviewed failed. As online consumers are accustomed to using effective search engines like Google in their daily lives and are more likely to search an unfamiliar site than browse it, site owners have to make an effort to live up to their customers' search engine expectations."
  • GPO Launches Enhanced Catalog of U.S. Government Publications

    "The Superintendent of Documents is pleased to announce the launch of the enhanced version of the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP). This version of the CGP is the online public access catalog (OPAC) module of the Government Printing Office's (GPO) new integrated library system. With the availability of the new CGP Phase 1 of a larger modernization plan to replace older legacy systems is complete. The new and improved CGP currently offers more than 500,000 records to both historical and current Government publications. These records have been created or updated since July 1976. Plans are underway to include records
    for publications dating back to the late 1800s."

    Exec. Order Establishes DHS Faith-Based Initiatives

    Executive Order 13397--Responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
    [Federal Register: March 9, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 46)][Presidential Documents] [Page 12273-12276]

  • By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to help the Federal Government coordinate a national effort to expand opportunities for faith-based and other community organizations and to strengthen their capacity to better meet America's social and community needs, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Establishment of a Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the Department of Homeland Security."

  • See also the text of the Executive Order from the White House.
  • March 08, 2006
    FTC Maintains COPPA Rule

    Press release: FTC Retains Children's Online Privacy Protection (COPPA) Rule Without Changes - "The Federal Trade Commission today announced its decision to retain, without changes, the Children's Online Privacy Protection (COPPA) Rule, which implements the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. In a Federal Register notice to be published soon, the Commission will present its findings retaining the Rule’s sliding scale approach to obtaining parental consent to the online collection of personal information from children, which takes into account how such information can be used."

  • COPPA Rule Retention, P054505

  • FTC Seeks Comment on Children's Online Privacy Rule

  • Public Comments on COPPA Rule
  • Efforts to Protect Civil Liberties Continue on the Hill

    CDT: "The House approved a PATRIOT Act renewal bill on Tuesday that lacks meaningful privacy and civil liberties reforms. The Senate passed the bill last week. The bill will now go to President Bush for his signature. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, who voted to renew the PATRIOT Act last week but vowed to continue fighting for reforms, co-sponsored a bill this week (S. 2369) with other Republican and Democratic Senators that contains the civil liberties protections that Congress failed to pass. CDT will urge other members to support Specter's bill."

  • PATRIOT Reauthorization (H.R. 3199), March 08, 2006

  • House-Senate Amendment (S. 2271), March 08, 2006

  • Specter Bill (2. 2369), March 08, 2006
  • House Judiciary Cmte. Hearing on Orphan Works

    Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property
    Oversight Hearing on "The Report on Orphan Works by the Copyright Office."

    Witness statements (in PDF):

  • Jule Sigall, Associate Register for Policy and International Affairs, Copyright Office of the United States, The Library of Congress

  • Allan Adler, Vice President for Legal and Government Affairs, Association of American Publishers, Inc. (AAP)

  • David Trust, Chief Executive Officer, Professional Photographers of America, Inc.

  • Maria A. Pallante-Hyun, Associate General Counsel, Guggenheim Museum

  • Related postings on orphan works

  • EU Seminar Report: Trust In the Net

    From Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, "Safety on the Net" (7 pages, PDF), (09/02/06).

    House Appropriations Committee Votes to Block Port Operations Deal

    Following up on several weeks of news on strong bipartisan opposition to the operation of America's ports by UAE owned DP World, today the House Appropriations Committee voted 62-2 to prevent the deal.

    New UK Guidelines on Web Accessibility

    Developed by the British Standards Institution, and reported yesterday by the Disability Rights Commission: "Key guidance on how to develop a website which is user-friendly for disabled people has been launched today."

  • "The DRC report, The Web: Access and Inclusion for Disabled People was published in April 2004. It investigated the accessibility of 1,000 British websites and revealed 81% of websites (808) failed to meet minimum standards for disabled web access. The survey also found that the average home page contains 108 barriers that make it impossible or very difficult for disabled people to use."
  • Internet Security Threat Report Finds Increase in Crimeware

    Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, Volume IX: March 2006 Highlights.

  • Press release: "This volume of the Internet Security Threat Report offers an overview of threat activity that took place between July 1 and December 31, 2005. In this edition, the new threat landscape is shown to be increasingly dominated by attacks and malicious code that are used to commit cybercrime, criminal acts that incorporate a computer or Internet component. Attackers have moved away from large, multipurpose attacks on network perimeters and toward smaller, more focused attacks on client-side targets."

  • See also Internet "cloaking" emerges as new Web security threat

  • Report Examines Government Patenting and Technology Transfer

    From the Economic Research Service, USDA: Government Patenting and Technology Transfer, by Paul W. Heisey, John L. King, Kelly Day Rubenstein, and Robbin Shoemaker, Economic Research Report No. (ERR15) 60 pp, March 2006.

  • "This report examines the use of intellectual property rights in Federal technology transfer, focusing primarily on the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). ARS uses patenting and licensing when a technology requires additional development by a private sector partner to yield a marketable product. Licensing revenue is not a major motivation. Greater use of patenting and licensing by ARS has not reduced the use of traditional instruments of technology transfer such as scientific publication. The structure of licensing agreements affects technology transfer outcomes. Mutually advantageous revisions to license terms may at times maintain the incentives through which private companies distribute the benefits of public research."
  • Free Antitrust Multistate Litigation Database Now Available

    The National Association of Attorneys General launched a searchable Antitrust Multistate Litigation Database, comprising case information dating back to 1990.

  • Search Only Civil Litigation Records [Information is provided in the following fields: Case Name; Plaintiff: Lead State(s); Defendants; Related Industry; Type of Case; Resolution; Year Action Initiated.]

  • Search Only Criminal Litigation Records [Information is provided in the following fields: Court Case; Plaintiff; Defendant(s); Offense(s); Year Offense Committed; Sentence Imposed]
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    Lack of Adequate Gov't Response to Katrina Reported by GAO

    Hurricane Katrina: GAO's Preliminary Observations Regarding Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, GAO-06-442T, March 8, 2006. Highlights.

  • "The size and strength of Hurricane Katrina resulted in one of the largest natural disasters in our nation's history. Hurricane Katrina raised major questions about our nation's readiness and ability to respond to catastrophic disasters. Hurricane Rita increased demands on an already stressed response and recovery effort by all levels of government. The two hurricanes provided a sobering picture of the overwhelming strains on response and recovery if there are back-to-back catastrophic disasters in the same area."

  • See also President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency, DHS OIG, Office for Hurricane Katrina Oversight, PCIE Agency Data: Hurricane(s) Oversight, February 24, 2006 (PDF, 4 pages - 32 KB) - New 03/08/2006.

  • Related postings on Katrina

  • Maryland Judiciary Offers Internet Case Search of Court Records

    Press release, March 7, 2006: "The Maryland Judiciary announced today that public Internet access to information from case records maintained by the Maryland Judiciary is now available...Information is available on all civil, traffic, and criminal cases in the state except for cases originating in the circuit courts for Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. This information includes defendant name, city and state, case number, date of birth, plaintiff name (civil cases only), trial date, charge, and case disposition. It does not include contact information for victims and witnesses (other than expert witnesses). The amount of historical data may vary by jurisdiction."

    Proposed Data Mining Project Targets Democratic Voters

    Washington Post: Democrats' Data Mining Stirs an Intraparty Battle With Private Effort on Voter Information, Ickes and Soros Challenge Dean and DNC: Project seeks to raise millions to create and implement a database of voter information for use in state, local and national campaigns.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet
    March 07, 2006
    Google CEO Speaker Notes Cause Speculation on GDrive

    Notes from CEO Eric Schmidt's March 2 Google Analyst Day remarks, not intended for public release, mention a company plan to allow for the storage of "100% of user data" on a virtual drive.

    DHS OIG Audit Highlights Vulnerabilities in L-1 Visa Program

    Reviews of Vulnerabilities and Potential Abuses of the L-1 Visa Program, OIG-06-22, January 2006 (PDF, 43 pages)

    Patriot Act Amendments Approved By House in Two Vote Margin

    AP: Congress Renews Patriot Act; Bush to Sign

    CIA Opposes Document Release for Libby Case

    Following up on recent news that Libby's defense is demanding the release of highly classified White House daily intelligence briefings, AP reports that a CIA affidavit filed with the court strongly opposed the release of these documents, stating in part "...Any disclosure... increases the possibility of damage to the national security..."

  • Related postings on the Plame CIA leak
  • Intelligence Committee Votes to Enhance Oversight of Terrorist Surveillance Program

    Press release - U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today made the following statement: "Several weeks ago I began discussing with the White House the need to expand this Committee's oversight of the Terrorist Surveillance Program and to begin engaging with Congress on possible legislative approaches. Before our last recess, I asked the members of the Intelligence Committee to give me more time to continue these discussions in hope of reaching an accommodation with the Administration on both the oversight and legislative fronts...Today we reached an accommodation with the White House to expand the number of members involved in overseeing this important program to seven, just about half of the Committee. The Committee voted to create a seven member subcommittee to conduct enhanced oversight of the Terrorist Surveillance Program. Including myself, there will be four Republicans on the Subcommittee. I have appointed the Members. They are: Senator Hatch, Senator DeWine, and Senator Bond."

  • Knight Ridder Newspapers: GOP lawmakers work to limit probe of domestic spying program

  • New York Times, G.O.P. Senators and Bush Reach Wiretap Accord

  • Washington Post, March 3, 2006: Gonzales Denies More Extensive Domestic Spying: "...[in a ] Feb. 28 letter to two senators...Gonzales appeared to suggest there might be domestic wiretap operations that extend beyond the outlines Bush acknowledged in December."
  • March 06, 2006
    NYTimes Launches DealBook Financial News Report on Website

    Press release: "The New York Times announced today the launch of DealBook, a new online financial news report on NYTimes.com featuring up-to-the-minute news and exclusives about Wall Street and corporate America. The continually updated report edited by Andrew Ross Sorkin, the Times's chief mergers and acquisitions reporter, with contributions from Times business reporters, is an extension of the daily e-mail newsletter of the same name that reaches more than 160,000 subscribers and includes among its readers many of the nation’s most influential executives and leaders. DealBook now includes three separate entities: the DealBook online report, the DealBook e-mail newsletter and the DealBook Sunday column in the newspaper. The new online report will be published weekdays at NYTimes.com/dealbook and will contain in-depth coverage that is updated throughout the market day, Monday through Friday."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    National Library of Australia Launches Libraries Australia Portal

    "Libraries Australia, a service that enables anyone with an Internet connection to select from more than 40 million items held in over 800 libraries across the nation....[was] launched at 12.30pm Monday 27 February at Parliament House, Canberra by Senator Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. This innovative service is an Australian first, opening up the collections of Australia’s libraries to the public. Libraries Australia, developed by the National Library of Australia, is an e-ticket to a world of information consisting of books, journals, newspapers, theses, pictures, music, manuscripts, maps and much more. Many online resources such as digitised images and full text government publications can also be accessed immediately online."

    EU eGovernment Economics Project

    "...the eGovernment Economics Project (eGEP) aims at producing a measurement framework for the evaluation of e-government impacts and outcomes. Policy makers and practitioners need new instruments to evaluate and monitor the costs, benefits and outcomes of eGovernment. After the first generation e-Government investments at digitalising the public sector, it is now important to show measurable goals in order to intensify, justify and monitor such efforts.

    eGEP will answer these needs by following three main objectives:

  • Identify and analyse the costs of setting-up, providing and maintaining eGovernment services in the European Union

  • Provide the basis of a measurement framework to assess the impact and performance of these services and
  • Provide an economic analysis of eGovernment impacts."

  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    FCC's Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks

    "The FCC's Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks (Hurricane Katrina Independent Panel) was established pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended. The mission of the Hurricane Katrina Independent Panel is to review the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the telecommunications and media infrastructure in the areas affected by the hurricane. Specifically, the Independent Panel will study the impact of Hurricane Katrina on all sectors of the telecommunications and media industries, including public safety communications. The Hurricane Katrina Independent Panel will also review the sufficiency and effectiveness of the recovery effort with respect to the infrastructure. The Independent Panel will then make recommendations to the FCC by June 15, 2006 regarding ways to improve disaster preparedness, network reliability, and communication among first responders such as police, fire fighters, and emergency medical personnel."

  • Related postings on Katrina
  • National Journal Profiles AG Gonzales

    National Journal: Defense Attorney, March 3, 2006.

  • "To his backers, Gonzales is a quiet, hardworking attorney general notable for his open management style and his commitment to the administration of justice and to the war on terrorism. To his critics, Gonzales is a Bush yes-man who never really left the White House and who continues to front for a commander-in-chief intent on illegitimately expanding his powers at the expense of civil liberties and in disregard of the legislative and judicial branches."
  • Success and Challenges of Online Tax Filings Examined by Policy Expert

    The Case of Online Tax Filing: "This exerpt from Digital Government: Technology and Public Sector Performance, examines online tax filings in e-government, by Darrell M. West [John Hazen White Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University], February 2006.

  • "In general, citizen satisfaction levels with online filing have been quite high. Seventy-five percent of those filing their returns online indicated they were "very satisfied." Expanding the number of online filers beyond those who already do so is complicated, however, by lack of knowledge about how to file electronically."
  • Minnesota Governor Announces Proposals to Protect Personal Privacy

    Press release: "Citing the need to safeguard the personal information of Minnesotans, Governor Pawlenty today announced a series of proposals that will protect personal privacy and improve the way state government handles personal data...In 2005, more than 3,000 Minnesotans became the victims of identity theft according to the Federal Trade Commission.

    Small Donors to 2004 Campaigns Marked Watershed Says Report

    Press release from the Institute for Small Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet (IPDI): "The 2004 election was a watershed in presidential campaign fundraising. Three or four times as many people contributed to the candidates in 2004 as in 2000, including an unprecedented number of small donors and Internet donors."

  • Donors Report, A Study of Donors to the 2004 Presidential Campaigns (64 pages, PDF)

  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government, Internet
    Online Searches Conducted in January 2006 Reach Almost 5.7 Billion

    Press release: according to Nielsen//NetRatings reports - "Online Search Hits All-Time High of 5.7 Billion Searches...the highest number to date." Top three search engines remain: Google search, Yahoo search and MSN search.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet, Search Engines
    March 05, 2006
    Gov't Crackdown on Info Sharing Related to Domestic Spying Program

    Washington Post via MSNBC, White House trains efforts on media leaks - Bush administration targets sources, reporters under espionage laws

    March 04, 2006
    Sabrina Presents Workshop on Best Sites and Services for Research

    Computers in Libraries 2006, Post Conference Workshops – Saturday, March 25 - Workshop 17 — 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., presented by Sabrina I. Pacifici (LLRX.com and beSpacific)

  • This workshop focuses on leveraging the best of free and low-fee Web sites as well as Web-related services (RSS, Blogs) to support and disseminate research services. It includes "best of breed" for CI (competitive intelligence), legislation, news, government documents and topical information that when incorporated into your daily work routine will maximize your research efforts.
  • March 03, 2006
    Some State Online UCC Filings Include Social Security Numbers

    Press release: "Attorney General Jim Petro said today he believes Secretary of State Ken Blackwell has a legal duty to take immediate steps to protect the privacy of citizens whose Social Security numbers have been made public on routine business forms posted on his office’s Web site....The confidentiality of citizens’ Social Security numbers is guarded as well under many public offices’ individual policies, including the Kentucky Secretary of State’s office, which redacts the numbers from forms they display or provide to the public, Petro said."

  • Link to Attorney General Opinion 2005-047

  • Link to Kentucky Secretary of State Business Services Web Page

  • Link to Ohio Supreme Court decision

  • USATODAY.com: "It is common for the websites of the USA's secretaries of state to contain personal information, including Social Security numbers (SSNs) and home addresses, in business statements. Besides Ohio, the data is available in New York, Florida and at least seven other states, say privacy experts who provided USA TODAY with links to public websites."
  • CBO Analysis of Budget for FY 2007

    Preliminary Analysis of the President's Budget Request for 2007, March 3, 2006

    From the Democratic staff of the Senate Budget Committee:

  • Review of Newspaper Editorials Opposing Bush Budget – Mar. 2, 2006

  • Charts Used at Hearing on Bush FY 2007 Defense Budget – Mar. 2, 2006


  • The Grand Old Spending Party: How Republicans Became Big Spenders,
    by Stephen Slivinski, director of budget studies at the Cato Institute: "President Bush has presided over the largest overall increase in inflation-adjusted federal spending since Lyndon B. Johnson. Even after excluding spending on defense and homeland security, Bush is still the biggest-spending president in 30 years. His 2006 budget doesn’t cut enough spending to change his place in history, either."
  • Senator Byrd Announces Bill to Investigate Domestic Spying Program

    Press release: "...I am proposing legislation to establish a nonpartisan commission to review and investigate domestic surveillance in America, along with serious allegations of abuse. In this way, we will be sure to safeguard our First and Fourth Amendment rights, as enumerated in our Constitution, as well as evaluate the actual effectiveness of such programs in combating terrorist threats."

  • Related postings domestic surveillance program
  • National Academies Release Fact Sheets on Terrorist Attacks

    Press release: "The National Academies have prepared fact sheets that provide reliable, objective information on four types of potential terrorist attacks. Designed primarily for reporters, they explain the scientific underpinnings and health effects of biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological attacks. The National Research Council's Division on Earth and Life Studies led the creation of the briefs...PDF files of each fact sheet."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    Senate Committee Approves Feinstein Measure to

    Follow-up to recent postings on Congressional earmarks, this February 28, 2006 press release:

  • Senate Committee Approves Feinstein Measure to
    Reform Earmark Process
    -
    "The Senate Rules Committee today unanimously approved a proposal by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to require 60 votes for any provision (earmark or otherwise) added to conference report that is not contained in the original Senate or House version of the bill. The measure was part of a larger package on lobby reform that was unanimously voted out of committee this morning."

  • GAO Identifies Challenges to Implementing Use of Governmentwide Smart Cards

    Electronic Government: Agencies Face Challenges in Implementing New Federal Employee Identification Standard, GAO-06-178, February 1, 2006. Highlights.

  • "Many forms of identification (ID) that federal employees and contractors use to access government-controlled buildings and information systems can be easily forged, stolen, or altered to allow unauthorized access."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    Hurricane Digital Memory Bank

    "The Hurricane Digital Memory Bank uses electronic media to collect, preserve, and present the stories and digital record of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. George Mason University's Center for History and New Media and the University of New Orleans, in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History and other partners, organized this project."

    Lawsuit Against Craigslist Alleges Discriminatory Housing Ads

    Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc. v. Craigslist, Inc. Case 1:06-cv-00657, Filed 02/03/2006, 20 pages, PDF.

  • The Fair Housing Act
  • March 02, 2006
    Archivist Responds to Gov't Reclassification of Docs.

    NARA press release: "Archivist of the United States Announces New Steps in Response to Withdrawal of Declassified Records from Open Shelves at the National Archives"

    Related documents, news and postings:

  • Public Interest Declassification Act of 2000

  • Public Interest Declassification Board Holds First Meeting: Document Withdrawal from the National Archives a Serious Concern, 2/28/2006.

  • New York Times today, Archivist Urges U.S. to Reopen Classified Files

  • beSpacific postings: Gov. Docs. Available to the Public Reclassified and Access Denied and Gov't Docs on the Web: Now You See Them, Now You Don't

  • Washington Post: Classifying Toothpaste

  • Which Newspapers Blog Best?

    According to surveys conducted by NYU Prof. Jay Rosen and members of his blogging 101 class, the list of Best Blogging Newspapers in the U.S. is topped by the Houston Chronicle.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs
    Campaign Seeks Posting of Federal Legislation Online 72 Hours Prior to Vote

    "...ReadtheBill.org is a narrowly focused effort to persuade the U.S. Congress to establish the "72 Hours of Online Sunshine Rule" [H. Res. 688, introduced Feb. 16, 2006: To require that legislation and conference reports be available on the Internet for 72 hours before consideration by the House, and for other purposes.]"

    Advocacy Group Proposes Legislation to Protection Online Political Speech

    "CDT today offered a legislative proposal that would exempt the vast majority of individual speakers on the Internet from campaign finance laws, without creating loopholes that could be easily exploited by state political parties and large donors. CDT drafted the proposal in response to mounting efforts in the House of Representatives to pass a measure (HR 1606) that doesn't go far enough to protect the rights of political speakers on the Internet. That bill was offered in response to a proposal by the Federal Elections Commission to apply campaign finance laws to Internet communications."

  • Analysis of CDT's Campaign Finance Proposal to Protect Online Political Speech

  • FEC Proposed Rule on Internet Communications
  • EU Plans Digital Library Portal Launch By 2010

  • EU press release: "European Commission steps up efforts to put Europe's memory on the Web via a "European Digital Library" - At least six million books, documents and other cultural works will be made available to anyone with a Web connection through the European Digital Library over the next five years."

  • The European Digital Library: Frequently Asked Questions
  • Internet Non-Discrimination Act of 2006 Introduced Today

    Press release: "U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today unveiled ground-breaking new legislation that would ensure "net neutrality," or equal delivery of content on the internet, for consumers and business interests. Under Wyden's bill, the Internet Nondiscrimination Act of 2006, network operators would be prohibited from charging companies for faster delivery of their content to consumers over the internet or favoring certain content over others."

    Related news and postings on net neutrality:

  • Consumer Federation of America, Survey: Consumers Want Congress to Protect Right to Access Information, Services on Internet, 01/18/06

  • Technology Review: The Net Effect of Neutrality - Web surfing has been, from its beginning, an open digital road. However, Congress may soon build roadblocks to some content, February 10, 2006.

  • Common Cause Factsheet on Net Neutrality

  • Tech Groups: Keep Net Neutrality, March 2, 2006

  • Related postings on net neutrality

  • New Filing in Libby CIA Leak Case Heavily Redacted, Revealing Little Info

    A 19 page affidavit was filed today in the Libby CIA leak case, by Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald. Previous disclosures related to the case refer to a still unnamed government official who in addition to Libby leaked information on Plame's identity.

  • Editor & Publisher, Did Bob Woodward Record Key Plame Case Conversation?
  • Increased Penalties for Sale of Cell Phone Records Passed by House and Senate Cmtes.

    H.R. 4709: Law Enforcement and Phone Privacy Protection Act of 2006, and S. 2178: Consumer Telephone Records Protection Act of 2006, both passed committee by voice vote.

  • Related postings on sale of cell phone records
  • Patriot Act Reauthorization Passed by Senate

    The vote was 89-10, with the following senators voting against the reauthorization: Sen. Akaka (D-HI); Sen. Bingaman (D-NM); Sen. Byrd (D-WV; Sen. Feingold (D-WI); Sen. Harkin (D-IA); Sen. Jeffords (I-VT); Sen. Leahy (D-VT); Sen. Levin (D-MI); Sen. Murray (D-WA) and Sen. Wyden (D-OR).

  • Related postings on Patriot Act
  • Classified Pre-War Intel Documented No WMD

    What Bush Was Told About Iraq, by Murray Waas, National Journal, Thursday, March 2, 2006

  • "Two highly classified intelligence reports delivered directly to President Bush before the Iraq war cast doubt on key public assertions made by the president, Vice President Cheney, and other administration officials as justifications for invading Iraq and toppling Saddam Hussein, according to records and knowledgeable sources."

  • Related articles by Murray Waas on WMD and CIA leak

  • bespacific postings on WMD
  • March 01, 2006
    OMB Reports on Progress in Implementing E-Government Act

    Learn how the government spent $62 billion in 2005 on information technology -- FY 2005 Report to Congress on Implementation of The E-Government Act of 2002, March 1, 2006. (46 pages, PDF)

    Post Office Is Most Trusted Government Agency

    Govtech.net: "For the second year in a row, Americans have rated the U.S. Postal Service as the number one agency they trust to protect their privacy, according to a new study." The FTC and the IRS are ranked second and third in the study, whose full text is not currently available online.

  • Ponemon Soundbite: "The top three factors for creating trust, according to our study, are a sense of security when providing personal information, limited collection of personal information and one-to-one personal contact. Respondents seem to agree that in their daily lives, the Postal Service delivers on all three and therefore continues to earn and keep their trust and confidence."
  • FOIA Requests Made Easy By Advocacy Group

    From People for the American Way, this new website, Make a FOIA Request: "Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), anyone has the right to request information from the government. Last strengthened by Congress in response to the Watergate scandal, FOIA gives citizens a way to demand transparency from the Administration -- and take the government to court if necessary. Many Americans -- especially those with family and friends abroad -- are wondering whether government agents have been listening to their phone conversations or reading their email. If you're worried this has happened to you, you can use this site to help you find out. We can't guarantee that the Bush administration will disclose all this information in compliance with the law, but we can help you through the process. By filing a FOIA request, you will send a strong signal that American citizens believe in the rule of law and aren't afraid to stand up to the President when he violates the Constitution!"

  • Related postings on FOIA

  • FOIA Facts, from LLRX.com
  • Senate Approves Patriot Act Amendments In 95-4 Vote

    Statement of Senator Russ Feingold On Opposition to Ending Debate on the Patriot Act, As Read From the Senate Floor, March 1, 2006.

  • Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy, Ranking Member, Committee On The Judiciary, PATRIOT Act Reauthorization, March 1, 2006

  • AP: Senate OKs Limiting Patriot Act Powers

  • Related postings on Patriot Act
  • AP Obtained Video of Administration Briefings Pre-Katrina

    AP has obtained video footage and transcripts of federal and state emergency management personnel briefings for top government officials, including Bush and Chertoff, on the devastating ramifications of Katrina, prior to landfall.

  • Related postings on Katrina

    Via the New York Times:
  • Video: President Warned of Katrina

  • Transcripts: Aug. 28 | Aug. 29

  • Dan Froomkin's March 2, 2006 commentary, in the Washington Post, adds further perspective to these revelations.

  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    Republican Critic of Port Deal Reveals No Intel Check Done For Terrorist Ties

    CNN: "A review of a United Arab Emirates-owned company's plan to take over a portion of operations at key U.S. ports never looked into whether the company had ties to al Qaeda or other terrorists, a key Republican lawmaker told CNN on Wednesday."

  • H.R. 4807: To require an investigation under the Defense Production Act of 1950 of the acquisition by Dubai Ports World of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, and for other purposes. Introduced 2/28/2006. Sponsor: Rep. Peter King.

  • H.R. 4814: To amend section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 to suspend all proposed mergers, acquisitions, or takeovers by foreign persons until certain determinations are made. Sponsor: Rep Garrett, Scott [NJ-5] (introduced 2/28/2006)

  • Via FAS, CRS report, The Exon-Florio National Security Test for Foreign Investment, updated February 23, 2006

  • Related postings on port operations deal