Author archives

U.S. Still Lacks Consolidated Terror Watch List

Federal Computer Week reports that the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center has yet to create a single, unified database comprising the dozen terror watch lists created by various government agencies, missing the December 1, 2003 deadline to complete the task. See also Terror Watch List Buried in Bureaucratic Mess, which states that according to Rep. Jim …

Subjects: Government Documents

Browser Patent Claim Upheld Against Microsoft

This afternoon, Judge James B. Zagel, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Chicago), refused to overturn a $521 million verdict against Microsoft, ruling in favor of Eolas Technologies Inc. in their web patent infringment dispute. The patent at issue is number 5,838,906, and is titled “Distributed hypermedia method for automatically invoking external application providing …

Subjects: Internet, Microsoft, Patent and Trademark

Presentation on the Future of GPO

From Judith C. Russell, Superintendent of Documents, the text of her presentation from the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, in which she addresses the following topics: The GPO Reorganization Fact Gathering and Planning for the Future of GPO and the FDLP A New Economic Model for the GPO Sales Program Managing Legacy Federal Documents Collections

Subjects: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Libraries

US-Visit Program Stirs Controversy, and Seems to Lack Exit Strategy

“EPIC has filed comments (pdf) in response to the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement that it will collect biometric and biographic information in the Arrival Departure Information System (ADIS) [Note – the ADIS System is mandated by Public Law 106-396, the Visa Waiver Program Act.] ADIS is one of at least twenty existing information systems …

Subjects: E-Government, Privacy

Proposed Guidelines for Installing Library Web Filtering

The Center for Democracy and Technology issued “Proposed Guidelines for Libraries Installing Filtering under Federal Law” during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting, underway in San Diego. Version 1.0 of Principles for CIPA-Mandated Filtering in Public Libraries “are intended to help libraries that are required to install Internet filtering software under the Childrens Internet Protection …

Subjects: Libraries, Privacy

Tax Software Industry Concerned Over Free E-Filing and Privacy

Federal Computer Week reports on a privacy controversy associated with the highly touted IRS Free File system, which last year was predominently used by low income taxpayers. For 2003 filings, the IRS requested that members of the Free File Alliance (“a Public-Private Partnership between the Internal Revenue Service and software companies in the tax software …

Subjects: E-Government, Privacy

Sen. Clinton Proposes Standardized Medical Reporting System

From Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s press release of January 12 on upcoming legislation to implement technology solutions to address the efficient delivery of health care, the proposal includes five major goals: Increasing research on quality of care; providing the public with a standardized reporting system that allows consumers to reliably compare performance; building an information …

Subjects: Congress, Internet, Legislation

Google Expands Search Features

Google’s new search features include: airline tracking by flight numbers and Search by Number, and includes UPS tracking numbers, FedEx tracking numbers, USPS tracking numbers, Vehicle ID (VIN) numbers, UPC codes, Telephone area codes, Patent numbers, FAA airplane registration numbers and FCC equipment IDs. Via Google Blogoscoped.

Subjects: Legal Research, Search Engines