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Daily Archives: November 28, 2013

UN General Assembly Third Committee Approves Text Titled ‘Right to Privacy in the Digital Age’

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved 18 draft resolutions today, including one on “The right to privacy in the digital age”.

“Through this resolution, the General Assembly establishes, for the first time, that human rights should prevail irrespective of the medium and therefore need to be protected both offline and online,” Brazil’s representative said, echoing the statement delivered by his President during the opening of the sixty‑eighth session. The draft, approved without a vote, would have the General Assembly call upon Member States to review their procedures, practices and legislation on the surveillance of communications, their interception and collection of personal data, including mass surveillance, with a view to upholding the right to privacy by ensuring the full and effective implementation of all relevant obligations under international human rights law. Following the approval, some delegates stressed the need for agreed international human rights mechanisms in relation to ensuring privacy and freedom of expression.  Some expressed regret over the lack of a specific reference to such mechanisms in the draft, while others applauded the consensus as a clear international reaction to the national and extraterritorial electronic surveillance activities conducted by the United States.”

Report on the findings by EU Co-chairs of ad hoc EU-US Working Group on Data Protection

Report on the findings by the EU Co-chairs of the ad hoc EU-US Working Group on Data Protection. Council of the European Union, Brussels, 27 November 2013. “Under US law, a number of legal bases allow large-scale collection and processing, for foreign intelligence purposes, including counter-terrorism, of personal data that has been transferred to the US… Continue Reading

CRS – Expiring Unemployment Insurance Provisions

Expiring Unemployment Insurance Provisions – Katelin P. Isaacs, Analyst in Income Security, November 22, 2013 “Several key provisions related to extended federal unemployment benefits are temporary and, therefore, scheduled to expire: • Authorization for the temporary Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) program is scheduled to expire the week ending on or before January 1, 2014 (i.e., December 28, 2013, in all states except… Continue Reading

Pensions at a Glance 2013: Retirement-Income Systems in OECD and G20 Countries

“This fifth edition of Pensions at a Glance provides a range of indicators for comparing pension policies and their outcomes between OECD countries. The indicators are also, where possible, provided for the other major economies that are members of the G20. Two special chapters (Chapters 1 and 2) provide deeper analysis of recent pension reforms… Continue Reading

Young adult readers ‘prefer printed to ebooks

Liz Bury – The Guardian: “Survey finds that 62% of 16 to 24-year-olds prefer traditional books over their digital equivalents – Sixteen to 24-year-olds are known as the super-connected generation, obsessed with snapping selfies or downloading the latest mobile apps, so it comes as a surprise to learn that 62% prefer print books to ebooks. Asked about preferences for physical… Continue Reading

House Report on the Intelligence Authorization Act for 2014

Intelligence Authorization Act for 2014. H.R. 113-227. November 25, 2013.–Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. Rogers of Michigan, from the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, submitted the following. HR 113-227 REPORT together with MINORITY VIEWS [To accompany H.R. 3381] [Including cost… Continue Reading