Category «Civil Liberties»

EPIC: House Passes Budget for TSA, Cuts Funding for Body Scanners

Follow up to previous postings on government implementation of whole body scanning technology at airports, via EPIC: “The House has approved the 2012 budget for the Transportation Security Administration, cutting $270 million from the amount originally requested by the Agency. The cuts include $76 million that had been designated for the purchase of 275 airport …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Government, Legislation, Privacy

Newsweek and The Daily Beast Honor 150 Extraordinary Women

Belatedly but nevertheless, here is the Newsweek and The Daily Beast Honor 150 Extraordinary Women: “They are heads of state and heads of household, angry protesters in the city square and sly iconoclasts in remote villages. With a fiery new energy, women are building schools, starting businesses, fighting corruption, harnessing new technologies and breaking down …

Subjects: Civil Liberties

UN – Report of Special Rapporteur on promotion and protection of right to freedom of opinion and expression

United Nations General Assembly: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue, May 16, 2011 “This report explores key trends and challenges to the right of all individuals to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds through the …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Internet

Reauthorization of PATRIOT Act on Deadline

RollCall: “After two days of wrangling and last-minute deal-making in the Senate, Congress cleared a reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act on Thursday, and the Obama administration announced that the president signed the bill into law before provisions of the anti-terrorism act expired at midnight. A standoff over amendments in the Senate ate into the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Legislation, Patriot Act, Privacy

Draft Agreement Would Allow DHS to Store EU Passenger Data for 15 Years

EPIC: “A draft agreement between the United States and the European Union will allow the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to store passenger data for up to 15 years. The passenger data includes names, addresses, phone numbers, and credit card information, and even ethnic origin, political opinions, and details of health or sex life. The …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, EU Data Protection, Government Documents, Privacy

EFF: Documenting Tools for Beating Internet Censorship

“Because we believe that Internet censorship is not only against the basic purpose of the Internet, which is to let people communicate what the want to with the people they want to communicate with, but also fundamentally against the universal right to freedom of opinion and expression [which] includes freedom to hold opinions without interference …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Internet, Knowledge Management

Obama Administration Unveils its Cybersecurity Legislative Proposal

“…the Administration has transmitted a cybersecurity legislative proposal to Capitol Hill in response to Congress’ call for assistance on how best to address the cybersecurity needs of our Nation. This is a milestone in our national effort to ensure secure and reliable networks for Americans, businesses, and government; fundamentally, this proposal strikes a critical balance …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Cybercrime, Legislation, Privacy

Applications Made to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court During 2010

FISA Annual Reports to Congress 2010 [via FAS] “During calendar year 2010, the Government made 1,579 applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (hereinafter “FISC”) for authority to conduct electronic surveillance andlor physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes. The 1,579 applications include applications made solely for electronic surveillance, applications made solely for physical search, and …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Freedom of Information, Privacy

The Deciders: Facebook, Google, and the Future of Privacy and Free Speech

The Deciders: Facebook, Google, and the Future of Privacy and Free Speech, Jeffrey Rosen “Open Planet [24/7 ubiquitous surveillance system] is not a technological fantasy. Most of the architecture for implementing it already exists, and it would be a simple enough task for Facebook or Google, if the companies chose, to get the system up …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Internet, Privacy, Search Engines

CRS – Amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Set to Expire May 27, 2011

Amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Set to Expire, May 27, 2011 “The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) provides a statutory framework by which government agencies may, when gathering foreign intelligence investigation, obtain authorization to conduct electronic surveillance2 or physical searches,3 utilize pen registers and trap and trace devices, or access specified business …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Legal Research, Legislation