Author archives

Google, Privacy and Going Public

From the International Herald Tribune, Being Googled: Web search tool is not without critics, this article touches on how this high profile company, that responds to 200 million global requests daily, successfully deflects criticism concerning its indexing, privacy and data collection policies. There appears to be more interest in whether the company will go public …

Subjects: Search Engines

States Fail in Cybersecurity Planning

A new study from Zeichner Risk Analytics LLC, State Implementation of Cyber-Security Requirements (pdf) identifies 36 states that have failed to prepare for and implement appropriate cybersecurity measures as required by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 to protect critical financial and information infrastructure from cyberattacks.

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Government

Additional Iraqi War Resources

The Command Post is a community blog with authors around the world who provide brief, predominently unbiased and continually updated information on a range of war related news and issues. Worth a look! Also, be sure to check-out the National Journal’s Iraq Coverage. Important information updated on this site daily includes: U.S. Military Deaths, U.S. …

Subjects: Blogs, Internet

Advocacy Groups Continue Challenge to Patriot Act

Announcement from EPIC’s website, March 24: “In a legal memorandum (pdf) filed with the federal court in Washington, EPIC and the American Civil Liberties Union challenge the Justice Department’s refusal to disclose basic, statistical information concerning implementation of the controversial USA PATRIOT Act. For background information and copies of DOJ and FBI documents that have …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Patriot Act, Privacy

Law Librarian's Resource Guide to War Related Links

Rob Truman, Head of Electronic Information Services, Boley Law Library, Lewis & Clark Law School, alerted me to his resource guide, War on Iraq, that includes links to news sites, government and defense related information, as well blogs devoted to war coverage. Rob is updating this well designed and useful site frequently, and it merits …

Subjects: Blogs

Digital Millennium Copyright and Competition

Copyright Versus Consumers’ Rights: How Companies are Using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to Thwart Competition, March 25. From the article: “Unlike in prior DMCA disputes, the object of Lexmark’s DMCA claim is not to prevent piracy of a copyrighted work. Instead, it is to prevent rivals from offering cheaper cartridges for Lexmark’s printers. This …

Subjects: Copyright, Digital Rights

Website on Open Records in 50 States

The Marion Brecher Citizen Access Project (CAP), from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, is a “comparative guide to state laws controlling citizen access to government meetings and records.” The project provides a growing database of information on public records that uses a ‘sunshine’ index rating scale (to indicate the level of …

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

Report on Democratic Candidate Websites

Digital Democrats, An Online Analysis of the Presidential Candidates, is an in-depth survey (92 pages, pdf) of how the websites of the eight declared candidates (Howard Dean, John Edwards, Dick Gephardt, John Kerry, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Lieberman, Carol Moselely Braun and Al Sharpton) are leveraging the online forum for the purposes of fundraising, communicating with …

Subjects: Internet

Supreme Court Declines Review of Wiretapping Case

The ACLU’s March 24 press release expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court’s order yesterday to reject their request to review the November 18, 2002 decision by the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review upholding the DOJ’s use of wiretapping and interception of e-mail and other communications as provided by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance …

Subjects: Civil Liberties