Category «Civil Liberties»

WaPo – NSA infiltrates links to Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide

Snowden documents how NSA and GCHQ are copying entire data flows across fiber-optic cables that carry information between the data centers of the Silicon Valley giants – by Barton Gellman and Ashkan Soltani “The National Security Agency has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, E-Mail, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Patriot Act, Privacy

TRAC – Immigration Court Backlog Up 85% From Five Years Ago

“The number of cases awaiting resolution before the Immigration Courts climbed to 344,230 by the end of fiscal year 2013, according to very timely government enforcement data obtained by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University. The case backlog, which has risen 5.9 percent since September 2012, is now 85 percent higher than …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research

UK Guardian – NSA monitored calls of 35 world leaders after US official handed over contacts

Jason Ball – The NSA memo suggests that such surveillance was not isolated as the agency routinely monitors world leaders. [snipped] “The National Security Agency monitored the phone conversations of 35 world leaders after being given the numbers by an official in another US government department, according to a classified document provided by whistleblower Edward …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, E-Mail, E-Records, EU Data Protection, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Patriot Act, Privacy

Court Rules Presidential Directives are Not Subject to FOIA but Orders Release of Additional Documents to EPIC

“A federal court has issued an opinion in EPIC v. NSA, EPIC’s Freedom of Information Act lawsuit concerning the government’s policy for the security of American computer networks. As a result of the lawsuit, EPIC obtained documents that the National Security Agency had withheld from the public. The documents concern NSPD 54, a presidential policy directive outlining the scope of the NSA’s authority over …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Patriot Act, Privacy

CRS Report on Student Bullying

Student Bullying: Overview of Research, Federal Initiatives, and Legal Issues – Gail McCallion, Specialist in Social Policy; Jody Feder, Legislative Attorney. October 18, 2013 “Many Members of Congress have become increasingly concerned about what can be done to address student bullying. This concern has arisen in response to high-profile bullying incidents that have occurred in recent years, and due to …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Education, Government Documents, Legal Research

The Evidence for Violence Prevention Across the Lifespan and Around the World

Leigh Carroll, Megan M. Perez, and Rachel M. Taylor, Rapporteurs; Forum on Global Violence Prevention; Board on Global Health; Institute of Medicine; National Research Council The Evidence for Violence Prevention Across the Lifespan and Around the World “is the summary of a workshop convened in January 2013 by the Institute of Medicine’s Forum on Global Violence …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Education, Government Documents, Health Care

Le Monde documents NSA PRISM surveillance of citizens

Jacques Follorou and Glenn Greenwald, Le Monde: “According to the documents retrieved from the NSA database by its ex-analyst, telephone communications of French citizens are intercepted on a massive scale. Le Monde has been able to obtain access to documents which describe the techniques used to violate the secrets or simply the private life of …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, E-Mail, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Patriot Act, Privacy

LexisNexis Report – Understanding human trafficking risks in the chocolate supply chain

“Dark Chocolate focuses on the 476 English language articles identified in the Nexis database since May 2010 directly relating to human trafficking and the global cocoa supply chain. Representing a tiny fraction of the total volume of articles within the Nexis database, these articles provide insight into the media coverage of this shocking issue. 265 …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research

UK Government Security Classifications

The new Government Security Classification Policy comes into force on 2 April 2014 and describes how HM Government classifies information assets to ensure they are appropriately protected. It applies to all information that government collects, stores, processes, generates or shares to deliver services and conduct business. Published 18 October 2013 by the Cabinet Office.  Documents: …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Privacy

23 US NGOs Support EU Data Protection Regulation

EPIC: “In a letter to members of the European Parliament, a coalition of 23 leading U.S. consumer, privacy, and civil liberties groups expressed support for the new EU Data Protection Regulation. The coalition said although it “remain[s] optimistic that we will eventually update privacy laws in the United States,” until then, “the European Union offers …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Mail, E-Records, EU Data Protection, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Privacy

Poll – The New American Center

“An exclusive Esquire-NBC News survey [rendered in a series of infographics that accompany the data for each respective question/answer] shows us that everything we are told about politics in America today—that there is no middle ground between left and right, blue and red, us and them—is wrong. The data, compiled by the Benenson Strategy Group …

Subjects: Blogs, Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, Education, Energy, Free Speech, Government Documents, Legal Research

Congressional Notification for Authorized Public Disclosure of Intelligence Information

Steven Aftergood/Secrecy News: “A new Department of Defense directive requires the Pentagon to notify Congress whenever a DoD official discloses classified intelligence to a reporter on an authorized basis, or declassifies the information specifically for release to the press. The new directive on “Congressional Notification for Authorized Public Disclosure of Intelligence Information” applies to all …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Patriot Act, Privacy