Day archives: August 9th, 2007

Combatting the Surveillance Industrial Complex

ACLU press release: “The U.S. security establishment is rapidly increasing its ability to monitor average Americans by hiring or compelling private-sector corporations to provide billions of customer records. The explosive growth in surveillance by government and business is creating a Surveillance-Industrial Complex (PDF) that threatens all of our privacy.”

Subjects: Privacy

New GAO Reports on Defense Contract Management, NASA and Hurricane Relief Efforts

NASA: Progress Made on Strategic Human Capital Management, but Future Program Challenges Remain, GAO-07-1004, August 8, 2007 Response to a post hearing question related to GAO’s December 6, 2006 testimony on continued findings of fraud, waste, and abuse associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita relief efforts, GAO-07-363R, January 12, 2007 Defense Contract Management: DOD’s Lack …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents

Internet News Audience Highly Critical of News Organizations

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press: Views of Press Values and Performance: 1985-2007 “The American public continues to fault news organizations for a number of perceived failures, with solid majorities criticizing them for political bias, inaccuracy and failing to acknowledge mistakes. But some of the harshest indictments of the press now come …

Subjects: Internet

Report Highlights Surge in Net Traffic Driven By Demand for Video Content

Press release: “New Millennium Research Council Analysis report finds growing Internet traffic, driven by online video, requires ongoing investment in new capacity and intelligent networks.” The Never Ending Rush Hour – Internet Traffic Growth Requires Continual Investment in Capacity and Innovation in Network Management, August 9, 2007 (21 pages, PDF)

Subjects: Congress, E-Commerce, Internet

DHS Announces Predeparture Screening of International Passengers

Press release: “The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today steps that will strengthen aviation security through uniform and consistent passenger prescreening against government watch lists. DHS is publishing two regulations [137 pages, PDF] which will initiate these changes: (1) Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) Predeparture Final Rule, which enables DHS to collect manifest …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents

New Analysis of Freedom of Information Act Performance by Coalition of Journalists for Open Government

“Still Waiting After All These Years, a new analysis of Freedom of Information Act performance by the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government, shows that service continues to frustrate requesters, despite a presidential directive ordering agencies to improve agency response. Over the past nine years that agencies have been reporting performance data, the number of …

Subjects: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

National Assessment of Educational Progress – The Nation's Report Card: Economics 2006

“The Nation’s Report Card informs the public about the academic achievement of elementary and secondary students in the United States. Report cards communicate the findings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a continuing and nationally representative measure of achievement in various subjects over time. The Nation’s Report Card compares performance among states, urban …

Subjects: Government Documents