Category «Civil Liberties»

EPIC: European Parliament Takes Stance Against Airport Body Scanners

Follow up to previous postings on whole body scanning at airports, via EPIC: The European Parliament has adopted a resolution that sets out strict safeguards for airport body scanners. The resolution requires that Member States only “deploy technology which is the least harmful for human health” and establish substantial privacy protection. The resolution prohibits the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Legal Research, Privacy

EFF: Prosecutors Demand Laptop Password in Violation of Fifth Amendment

“The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) urged a federal court in Colorado today to block the government’s attempt to force a woman to enter a password into an encrypted laptop, arguing in an amicus brief that it would violate her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. A defendant in this case, Ramona Fricosu, is accused of fraudulent …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Internet, Legal Research

UN Report – Progress of the World’s Women 2011–2012: In Pursuit of Justice

Progress of the World’s Women 2011–2012: In Pursuit of Justice “As the first major UN Women report, this edition of Progress of the World’s Women reminds us of the remarkable advances that have been made over the past century in the quest for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Even within one generation we have witnessed …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents

New on LLRX.com – Pretrial Detention, Bail and Due Process

Via LLRX.com: Pretrial Detention, Bail and Due Process – Ken Strutin’s guide comprises recent publications and other notable resources concerning the relationship between the administration of bail and the requirements of due process. Pretrial detention of suspects directly impacts the presumption of innocence. The cornerstone of the justice system is that no one will be …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Legal Research

2010 Wiretap Report Shows Increase in Authorized Intercepts

“Federal and state applications for orders authorizing or approving the interception of wire, oral or electronic communications increased 34 percent in 2010, compared to the number reported in 2009. The interceptions are reported in the 2010 Wiretap Report, released today by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AOUSC). The current report covers intercepts …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Legal Research, Privacy

Sentencing Commission Votes to Make New Crack Cocaine Guidelines Retroactive

Follow up to previous postings on sentencing guidelines, this ews release: “The United States Sentencing Commission voted unanimously today to give retroactive effect to its proposed permanent amendment to the federal sentencing guidelines that implements the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. Retroactivity of the amendment will become effective on November 1, 2011 – the same …

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

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's proposed online copyright protection plan

OECD draft Communiqué on Principles for Internet Policy-Making, June 29, 2011 “The policy-making principles in this communiqué are designed to help preserve the fundamental openness of the Internet while concomitantly meeting certain public policy objectives, such as the protection of privacy, security, children online, and intellectual property, as well as the reinforcement of trust in …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Copyright, Internet, Privacy

14th edition of Nations in Transit

News release: “The authoritarian countries of the former Soviet Union have built governance systems that are resistant to reform and therefore increasingly vulnerable to unpredictable crises of the sort recently seen in the Middle East and North Africa, according to a new study released by Freedom House. Nations in Transit 2011, the latest edition of …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

EPIC v. DHS Lawsuit — FOIA'd Documents Raise New Questions About Body Scanner Radiation Risks

EPIC: “In a FOIA lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, EPIC has just obtained documents concerning the radiation risks of TSA’s airport body scanner program. The documents include agency emails, radiation studies, memoranda of agreement concerning radiation testing programs, and results of some radiation tests. One document set reveals that even after TSA employees …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Privacy

Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men

Book review: “More than 160 million females are “missing” from Asia’s population. That’s more than the entire female population of the United States. Gender imbalance—which is mainly the result of sex selective abortion—is no longer strictly an Asian problem. In Azerbaijan and Armenia, in Eastern Europe, and even among some groups in the United States, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties

EPIC, ACLU, EFF, and Others Urge Homeland Security to Stop Creation of National Identity System

“EPIC and a coalition of privacy, consumer rights, and civil rights organizations filed a statement to the Department of Homeland Security in opposition to the proposed expansion of the employment verification system, “E-Verify.” The agency announced plans to incorporate state driver license records that could significantly expand the use of the Homeland Security database. The …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Privacy