Author archives

Recent Poll Indicates Popularity of Net News

The Harris Poll® #35, May 19, 2004: “Four out of five adults (80%) who are online report that they have used the Internet to read some kind of news in the last seven days. The types of online news used by the largest numbers of people are the weather (60% of all those online), national …

Subjects: Internet

DOJ Updates Public Data on Computer Intrusion Cases

From the DOJ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS): “…a summary chart of recently prosecuted computer cases. Many cases have been prosecuted under the computer crime statute, 18 U.S.C. §1030. This listing is a representative sample; it is not exhaustive. Click on the name of the case to read a press release about the …

Subjects: Cybercrime

New Study Indicates Continued Need for Traditional Communications to Supplement E-Gov’t

New Pew Internet and American Life Project Report released today: “How Americans Get in Touch With Government – Internet users benefit from the efficiency of e-government, but multiple channels are still needed for citizens to reach agencies and solve problems.” (38 pages, pdf) From the Summary: “In sum, e-gov is a helpful tool among several …

Subjects: E-Government

Hundreds of California Municipal E-Gov’t Sites Fall Short in Usability Tests

Study Reveals Government Websites Are Unusable To A Growing Number Of Californians “A comprehensive assessment of over 400 municipal websites reveals that 91% of California’s cities fail to meet basic accessibility standards. The results show that most city websites are unusable by a wide range of people, including blind, deaf, and mobility impaired individuals, as …

Subjects: E-Government, Web Site Accessibility and Usability

E-Gov’t Scorecard Yields Unimpressive Results

“The Executive Branch Management Scorecard (released quarterly) tracks how well the departments and major agencies are executing the five government-wide management initiatives.” [Link] The report scores agencies using a color-coded system – Green for success, for mixed results, and Red for unsatisfactory. “Agencies received 61 red scores, 57 yellow and 12 green, making it the …

Subjects: E-Government

New Bill Seeks to Protect Homeland and Civil Liberties

“Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-FL), Member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security and Congressman Jim Turner (D-TX), Ranking Member of the Committee, and House Democrats, yesterday introduced the Strengthening Homeland Innovation by Emphasizing Liberty, Democracy, and Privacy Act, or SHIELD Privacy Act, to strengthen homeland security by protecting privacy and civil liberties.” Text of …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Legislation, Privacy

FTC Seeks Comments for Workshop on RFID

Public Workshop: Radio Frequency Identification – Applications and Implications for Consumers, to be held June 21, 2004. “The workshop will address both current and anticipated uses of RFID tags and their impact on the marketplace.” Federal Register notice: extension of public comment period on RFID issues.

Subjects: E-Commerce, Privacy

Blog on Canadian Privacy Law Issues

Attorney David T.S. Fraser’s blog on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and Canadian privacy law issues provides a wealth of resources, commentary and links, frequently updated, from his home base in the wonderful city of Halifax.

Subjects: Privacy