Day archives: September 21st, 2017

America’s Best Cities for Public Transportation

24/7 Wall St: “In a report card assessing the nation’s infrastructure issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers, transit in the United States received a grade of D-. Despite increasing demand, much of the nation’s public transportation infrastructure is plagued by under investment and insufficient maintenance. The average vehicle used in public transportation is …

Subjects: Economy, Transportation

Know Your Rights: Whistleblower Protections for Federal Sector Employees

POGO – Know Your Rights: Whistleblower Protections for Federal Sector Employees. “The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) has put together this web resource to help federal sector employees learn more about their whistleblower rights. The information here is just a starting point and is not legal advice. The legal information POGO provides closely follows the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

Highly ideological members of Congress have more FB followers than moderates do

Pew: “The most liberal and conservative members of the 115th Congress have attracted more Facebook followers than moderates, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis [See full methodology here (PDF).]. In both legislative chambers, members’ ideology is a strong predictor of the number of people who follow them on Facebook. The most liberal and …

Subjects: Congress, Social Media

The Equifax Data Breach: What to Do

FTC – “If you have a credit report, there’s a good chance that you’re one of the 143 million American consumers whose sensitive personal information was exposed in a data breach at Equifax, one of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies. Here are the facts, according to Equifax. The breach lasted from mid-May through …

Subjects: Financial System, ID Theft, Privacy

Domestic Terrorism Prosecutions Outnumber International

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “While terrorism prosecutions involving extremists affiliated with ISIS grab the headlines, international terrorists make up only a small proportion of all terrorism prosecutions that take place each year in the United States. The latest available data from the Justice Department show that during the first eleven months of FY 2017 less …

Subjects: Courts, Defense, Legal Research

Appellate court rules tracking cellphones without a warrant unconstitutional

Washington Examiner: “The D.C. Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday [September 21, 2017] that it is unconstitutional for law enforcement to use certain technologies that allow the tracking of a suspect’s cellular phone without a warrant. The ruling reversed a decision of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia that allowed police to use …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Legal Research, Privacy

U of Wis – Using Infographics in Strategic Planning & Assessment

“The UW Law Library engages in regular strategic planning and assessment of our effectiveness in achieving our mission and realizing our goals.  At the beginning of the academic year, we develop a strategic plan consisting of three parts: our mission and vision, our ongoing key priorities, and a selection of strategic initiatives on which we …

Subjects: Education, Knowledge Management, Libraries

DOJ, 18F Report on “Discovery Phase” of National FOIA Portal

“Today, OIP is pleased to announce the results of its collaboration with GSA’s 18F team on the discovery phase of development of a National FOIA Portal.  As we enter development, we want to again solicit both public and agency participation in providing feedback on our work. The FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 directed the Office …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

Report – Paper Remains Preferred Technology for Productive Learning

Paper and Packaging Board: “…Paper plays an important role in productive learning, which happens to be the theme of our annual Paper and Productive Learning: The Third Annual Back-to-School Report. By productive learning, we mean the ability to take in and understand new information. The human brain’s preference for the spatial and tactile makes paper …

Subjects: Economy, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Secure EDGAR data breach exploited for possible insider trading w updates

Statement on Cybersecurity Chairman Jay Clayton, Sept. 20, 2017 “…Notwithstanding our efforts to protect our systems and manage cybersecurity risk, in certain cases cyber threat actors have managed to access or misuse our systems.  In August 2017, the Commission learned that an incident previously detected in 2016 may have provided the basis for illicit gain …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Government Documents, Securities Law