Category «Civil Liberties»

Transcript of Q&A With National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell

Transcript: Debate on the foreign intelligence surveillance act, by Chris Roberts, El Paso Times: The following is the transcript of a question and answer session with National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell, published August 22, 2007. On participation by telecommunications companies in the domestic surveillance program: “…Now the second part of the issue was under the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents, Legal Research

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Constitution Week, 2007

Proclamation by the President: Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Constitution Week, 2007 – “On Constitution Day and Citizenship Day and during Constitution Week, we celebrate the anniversary of our Nation’s Constitution and honor the Framers who created the landmark document that continues to guide our Nation. In the summer of 1787, delegates convened in Philadelphia …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

DoD to Implement Interim Threat Reporting Procedures

Press release: “DoD’s Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA) will close the TALON Reporting System effective Sept. 17, 2007, and maintain a record copy of the collected data in accordance with intelligence oversight requirements. To ensure there is a mechanism in place to document and assess potential threats to DoD resources, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents, Patriot Act, Privacy

White House Fails to Comply With Subpoenas on Domestic Surveillance Program

Follow up to previous posting on the government’s domestic surveillance program, today’s Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On The Bush Administration’s Failure To Comply With Subpoenas For Warrantless Wiretapping Documents, August 20, 2007: “Today was the deadline for the Administration to comply with the Judiciary Committee’s subpoenas for documents related to …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Government, Legal Research, Patriot Act, Privacy

DOD Concerned About Iraq Biometric Database

EPIC: “The biometrics program manager in Iraq this week expressed concern that the database containing biometrics and secret files on thousand of Iraqis could “become a hit list if it gets in the wrong hands.” According to Lt. Col. Velliquette, the Iraqi system has approximately 750,000 records in its database. Earlier, EPIC, Privacy International, and …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents, Privacy

DHS Announces Plans for National Applications Office

Press release: “The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Applications Office (NAO) is the executive agent to facilitate the use of intelligence community technological assets for civil, homeland security and law enforcement purposes within the United States. The office will begin initial operation by fall 2007 and will build on the long-standing work of …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents, Privacy

WSJ Reports on DHS Plan to Expand Domestic Surveillance

WSJ: “The U.S.’s top intelligence official has greatly expanded the range of federal and local authorities who can get access to information from the nation’s vast network of spy satellites in the U.S. The decision, made three months ago by Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell, places for the first time some of the U.S.’s …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents, Patriot Act, Privacy

DOJ Poised to Implement New Rules Shortening Dealth Penalty Appeals

LA Times: “The Justice Department is putting the final touches on regulations that could give Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales important new sway over death penalty cases in California and other states, including the power to shorten the time that death row inmates have to appeal convictions to federal courts. The rules implement a little-noticed …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Legal Research

Library of Congress Webcast Available on Torture, Detainees and the U.S. Military

The Law Library of Congress is pleased to announce the following new resource: Webcast: A Panel Discussion – “Torture, Detainees, & the U.S. Military” [via Emily Carr/Law Library of Congress] SPEAKERS: Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan, United States Army; Brigadier General James C. Walker, United States Marine Corps; Ms. Jacki Northam, National Public Radio Correspondent; Professor …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

Commentary on Understanding Privacy — and the Real Threats to It

Understanding Privacy — and the Real Threats to It, August 4, 2007 (20 pages, PDF), by Jim Harper, the editor of Privacilla.org and director of information policy studies at the Cato Institute. Executive Summary: “Properly defined, privacy is the subjective condition people experience when they have power to control information about themselves. Because privacy is …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

Report Tracks and Compares Competition for Search Privacy

Press release: “In a trend that could substantially benefit Internet users, the largest Internet search companies are beginning to aggressively compete with one another to offer stronger privacy protections, according to a report published today by the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT). Until recently, most of the major Internet search engines kept detailed — …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Internet, Privacy, Search Engines