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Daily Archives: June 6, 2014

Gallup – Few Consumers Trust Companies to Keep Online Info Safe

One in five have “a lot of trust” that companies safeguard personal data, by John Fleming and Elizabeth Kampf

“Recent incidents such as Target’s security breach, the Heartbleed bug, and eBay’s systems hack have called attention to how much consumers trust the businesses they patronize to keep their personal information safe. That trust currently appears to be hard to come by. Just 21% of Americans have “a lot of trust” in the businesses or companies they regularly interact with to keep their personal information secure. In addition to low trust in companies’ abilities to keep their data secure, Americans report decreasing trust in companies in general. Thirty-seven percent say their general level of trust in the businesses and companies they regularly do business with has declined either a little or a lot over the past year.”

Access to Digital Accounts After Death Varies State to State

Pew – Proposed law would clarify who gets access to a deceased person’s digital accounts “The Uniform Law Commission, a body of lawyers who produce uniform legislation for states to adopt, recently drafted the “Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (FADA).” It would grant fiduciaries (a catch-all term for the various types of people who can be legally… Continue Reading

Defense Acquisitions: How DOD Acquires Weapon Systems and Recent Efforts to Reform the Process

CRS – Defense Acquisitions: How DOD Acquires Weapon Systems and Recent Efforts to Reform the Process. Moshe Schwartz, Specialist in Defense Acquisition. January 2, 2013. “The Department of Defense (DOD) acquires goods and services from contractors, federal arsenals, and shopyards to support military operations. Acquisition is a broad term that applies to more than just the purchase of… Continue Reading

CRS Report – The Presidential Records Act

The Presidential Records Act: Background and Recent Issues for Congress. Wendy Ginsberg, Analyst in American National Government, May 30, 2014. “Presidential documents are historical resources that capture each incumbent’s conduct in presidential office. Pursuant to the Presidential Records Act ((PRA) 44 U.S.C. §§2201-2207), the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) collects most records of former Presidents and former… Continue Reading

The Number of Veterans That Use VA Health Care Services: A Fact Sheet

Follow-up to posting, Wait Times for Veterans Health Not New – see CRS – The Number of Veterans That Use VA Health Care Services: A Fact Sheet. Erin Bagalman, Analyst in Health Policy, June 3, 2014. “It’s a simple question—how many veterans use services at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)? It’s a question being asked a lot these days, and it… Continue Reading

Women Surpassed Their Pre-recession Employment Peak 9 Months Ago, Men Still Haven’t

Heidi Shierholz – Economic Policy Institute: “With the addition of 217,000 jobs in May, the U.S. labor market has now surpassed its pre-recession employment peak, a benchmark (the pre-recession employment peak) which is of zero economic interest. Given the growth in the potential labor force since December 2007, we should have added 7.0 million jobs since then, but instead… Continue Reading

EPIC v. NSA: EPIC Obtains Presidential Directive for Cybersecurity

EPIC –  After almost five years, EPIC has obtained National Security Presidential Directive 54. The previously classified Presidential Directive contains the full text of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative and “establishes United States policy, strategy, guidelines, and implementation actions to secure cyberspace.” This Directive, which is the foundational legal document for all cybersecurity policies in the… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Community Development, Human Capital, Small Business Research, Fusion Energy, Maritime Critical IT Protection

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CAPITAL INITIATIVE: Status of the Program and Financial Health of Remaining Participants, GAO-14-579: Published: Jun 6, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 6, 2014. HUMAN CAPITAL: Strategies to Help Agencies Meet Their Missions in an Era of Highly Constrained Resources, GAO-14-168: Published: May 7, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 6, 2014. SMALL BUSINESS RESEARCH PROGRAMS: More Guidance and Oversight Needed to Comply with… Continue Reading