Author archives

What to Do When You Suspect a Data Breach: FTC Issues Video and Guide for Businesses

“If your business has experienced a data breach, you are probably wondering what to do next. The Federal Trade Commission’s new Data Breach Response: A Guide for Business, an accompanying video and business blog can help you figure out what steps to take and whom to contact. Among the key steps are securing physical areas, …

Subjects: Blogs, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Government, Education, Government Documents

Federal Judge Approves FTC Order for Owners of Certain Volkswagen and Audi “Clean” Diesels to Receive Compensation

Via FTC: A federal district court judge in San Francisco today signed a $10 billion settlement order, starting the formal process for owners of certain Volkswagen and Audi 2.0 liter diesel cars to receive compensation for the vehicles they bought. Under the $10 billion Federal Trade Commission order, in most cases the owners of VW …

Subjects: Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research, Transportation

State Voter Identification Requirements: Analysis, Legal Issues, and Policy Considerations

CRS report via FAS – State Voter Identification Requirements: Analysis, Legal Issues, and Policy Considerations, Eric A. Fischer, Senior Specialist in Science and Technology; R. Sam Garrett, Specialist in American National Government; L. Paige Whitaker, Legislative Attorney. October 21, 2016. “About 60% of U.S. voters live in the 32 states that require a voter at …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

Legal Processes for Contesting the Results of a Presidential Election

CRS report via FAS – Legal Processes for Contesting the Results of a Presidential Election, Jack Maskell, Legislative Attorney, October 24, 2016. “Questions occasionally surface regarding potential voting fraud or election irregularities in presidential elections. (See, for example, Sean Sullivan and Philip Rucker, “Trump’s Claim of ‘Rigged’ Vote Stirs Fears of Trouble,” Washington Post, October …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research

What Would Clinton and Trump Need to Do to Address the Debt Along with their Policy Agendas?

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Report – “We recently estimated that Clinton’s policies would likely add $200 billion to the debt over the next decade, while Trump’s policies would add $5.3 trillion. We also found that the ratio of debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would rise from nearly 77 percent of GDP today to 86 …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System

IRS IG – Review of the Enterprise E-Mail System Acquisition

Review of the Enterprise E-Mail System Acquisition, September 30, 2016. Reference Number: 2016-20-080. “The IRS purchased subscriptions for an enterprise e-mail system [Microsoft] that, as it turned out, it could not use. The purchase was made without first determining project infrastructure needs, integration requirements, business requirements, security and portal bandwidth, and whether the subscriptions were …

Subjects: E-Mail, E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Knowledge Management

Federal Judge approves $15B settlement in Volkswagen emissions case

USAToday – “A federal judge on Tuesday approved one of the largest consumer settlements in U.S. history, a nearly $15 billion U.S. deal concerning Volkswagen Group’s diesel car emissions scandal. The settlement sets in motion a massive vehicle buyback program and environmental remediation efforts.” See also previous posting –Volkswagen Agrees to Record Settlement in Emissions Case and Volkswagen …

Subjects: Courts, Environmental Law, Legal Research

Former Wells Fargo Employees File $2.6B Lawsuit

Via FindLaw – Alexander Polonsky, et al. v. Wells Fargo, Los Angeles Superior Court, September 22, 2016. “The lawsuit was filed by two former employees, but seeks compensation for any and all Wells Fargo employees penalized for not meeting sales quotas over the past 10 years. In September, the bank fired over 5,000 employees for …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Amnesty International Reviews IM Applications, Privacy and Human Rights Risks

“Encryption helps protect people’s human rights online. By rendering digital data unintelligible, encryption helps ensure that private information sent over the internet stays private. Technology companies play a crucial role in keeping digital information safe. In this report, Amnesty International ranks 11 technology companies on whether they are meeting their human rights responsibilities by using …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Privacy, Social Media

BBC – How the British Library is using SEO to become a digital media publisher

Ian Burrell – “The British Library is becoming a modern news publisher. Its expertise in the field of journalism is immense. The home of one of the greatest newspaper archives in the world, amounting to more than 15m pages of news, it also houses The Newsroom, a permanent resource charting the evolution of news in broadcast, …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Legislation, Marketing