Author archives

Google Launches Free Tool To Search Your PC

From the FAQ: “Google Desktop Search is…a desktop search application that provides full text search over your email, computer files, chats, and the web pages you’ve viewed. Search email from Outlook 2000+ and Outlook Express 5+ Search files in TXT, HTML, DOC, XLS, and PPT formats (Office 2000+) Search chats from AOL 7+ and AOL …

Subjects: Privacy, Search Engines

Article Maintains Security and Privacy Are Not Mutually Exclusive

K. A. Taipale, Technology, Security and Privacy: The Fear of Frankenstein, the Myth of Privacy and the Lessons of King Ludd, 7 Yale J. L. & Tech. (forthcoming Dec. 2004, 88 pages, PDF): “This paper examines technologies of identification, data aggregation and analysis (including data mining), and collection currently being considered for use in the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Privacy

Report from DOJ Intellectual Property Task Force on Cybercrime

Report of the Department of Justice’s Task Force on Intellectual Property (October 2004, 96 pages, PDF): “This final report of recommendations..outline[s] both substantive and tangible methods for the Department of Justice to expand and enhance its efforts in protecting the nation’s creative and intellectual resources.” Commentary: Justice Dept. wants new antipiracy powers

Subjects: Copyright, Cybercrime, Government Documents, Intellectual Property

New Edition of U.S. Government Manual on the Web

U.S. Government Manual: Main Page, Quick Search for Current Edition (2004-05) [Link]: “As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, and boards, …

Subjects: Government Documents

Civil Rights Commission Report Review Bush Record

From the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, whose mission is “to investigate complaints alleging that citizens are being deprived of their right to vote by reason of their race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or by reason of fraudulent practices,” a new report: Redefining Rights in America-The Civil Rights Record of the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents

Defense Authorization Section on Nondisclosure of Certain Products of Commercial Satellite Operations

From Secrecy News: “Congressional conferees narrowed the scope of a new Freedom of Information Act exemption for certain categories of commercial satellite imagery and related products. As revised, the exemption would apply only to imagery whose sale to non-government customers is already prohibited “for reasons of national security.” The final language in section 914 of …

Subjects: Congress, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

FEC’s Newly Designed Website

From the press release: The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has redesigned and streamlined its Internet Web site. The primary purpose of the revamped Web site is to reorganize the site’s growing body of material to offer the most efficient presentation of relevant and appropriate information to various audiences, including the general public, candidates and their …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents