Category «Civil Liberties»

Will FBI Prevail in Expanding Net Surveillance Program?

Declan McCullagh reported: “The FBI has drafted sweeping legislation that would require Internet service providers to create wiretapping hubs for police surveillance and force makers of networking gear to build in backdoors for eavesdropping.” Related postings on CALEA , and this FCC final rule published in the July 5, 2006 Federal Register: “This document addresses …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Legislation, Privacy

Introduction to the Law of Information Privacy

Solove, Daniel J., A Brief History of Information Privacy Law. Book chapter in Proskauer on Privacy (2006). “This book chapter provides a brief history of information privacy law in the United States from colonial times to the present. It discusses the development of the common law torts, Fourth Amendment law, the constitutional right to information …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Legal Research, Privacy

Database of Domestic Calls Compiled by NSA Without Complete Telecom Cooperation

USAToday.com: “Members of the House and Senate intelligence committees confirm that the National Security Agency has compiled a massive database of domestic phone call records. But some lawmakers also say that cooperation by the nation’s telecommunication companies was not as extensive as first reported by USA TODAY on May 11.” BellSouth Statement on Governmental Data …

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

House Resolution Supporting Tracking Terrorist Financing

House Committee on Financial Services: “Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 227-183 in favor of a resolution [H. Res. 895] introduced yesterday by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael G. Oxley (OH), which expresses the sense of the House in support of U.S. government programs to track terrorist financing and to condemn illegal disclosure …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Legal Research, Legislation

Significant Security Risk of E-Voting Machines Documented in New Report

Press release: “New report shows 17 states at high risk for election results compromised due to electronic voting machine problems.” “A new report released Thursday by Common Cause concludes that the push to use direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines was misguided, has resulted in serious security and reliability concerns, and should be reversed. The …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents

House Judiciary Committee Passes Resolution On NSA Phone Record Surveillance Data

Following up on Domestic Call Records Mined for Expansive Pentagon Database Program, today’s passage by the House Judiciary Committee, voice vote, on H.Res. 819, “Requesting the President and directing the Attorney General to submit to the House of Representatives all documents in the possession of the President and the Attorney General relating to requests made …

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

Phone Surveillance By State and Local Law Enforcement Uses Data Brokers

AP: “Federal and local police across the country – as well as some of the nation’s best-known companies – have been gathering Americans’ phone records from private data brokers without subpoenas or warrants. These brokers, many of whom market aggressively on the Internet, have broken into customer accounts online, tricked phone companies into revealing information …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Patriot Act, Privacy

Detainee Related Documents Released – Formica Report

AP: Pentagon Details U.S. Abuse of Detainees – Pentagon Says U.S. Forces Used Unapproved Interrogation Practices on Iraq, Afghan Detainees DOJ: Documents released in litigation on June 15, 2006 Formica Report Jacoby Report Schmidt-Furlow Report Enclosures Record of Courts Martial, (NOV 19, 2003) Record of Courts Martial, (JAN 7, 2003) Record of Courts Martial, (JAN …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents