Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery With Daily Postings Since 2002
Follow up to Undercover GAO Investigation Exposes Vulnerabilities in Airport Security, DHS OIG Report – Information Technology Management Needs to Be Strengthened at the Transportation Security Administration, October 26, 2007 (PDF, 48 pages) – New 11/15/2007. “TSA does not manage and apply IT effectively to support accomplishment of its mission objectives. Due to early pressures …
Press release, November 15, 2007: “IT security and control firm Sophos has revealed new research into the use of other people’s Wi-Fi networks to piggyback onto the internet without payment. The research, carried out by Sophos on behalf of The Times, shows that 54 percent of computer users have admitted breaking the law, by using …
OIG-08-06 – Better Administration of Automated Targeting System Controls Can Further Protect Personally Identifiable Information (Redacted) (PDF, 22 pages) – New 11/09/2007
AP: “Privacy no longer can mean anonymity, says Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence. Instead, it should mean that government and businesses properly safeguard people’s private communications and financial information…Kurt Opsahl, a senior staff lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation…said Kerr ignores the distinction between sacrificing protection from an intrusive government and …
Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Letter to the Attorney General on the Use of National Security Letters by the FBI, September 14, 2007. Related postings on National Security Letters
Military Personnel: Federal Agencies Have Taken Actions to Address Servicemembers’ Employment Rights, but a Single Entity Needs to Maintain Visibility to Improve Focus on Overall Program Results, GAO-08-254T, November 08, 2007 Terrorist Watch List Screening: Recommendations to Promote a Comprehensive and Coordinated Approach to Terrorist-Related Screening, GAO-08-253T, November 08, 2007. Related posting: Complaints Mount as …
USA Today: “More than 15,000 people have appealed to the government since February to have their names removed from the terrorist watch list that delayed their travel at U.S. airports and border crossings, the Homeland Security Department says.” Related government documents: “The Department of Homeland Security’s Travel Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) is a single …
Press release: “The Federal Trade Commission today announced a law enforcement crackdown on companies and individuals accused of violating the requirements of the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry, resulting in six settlements collectively imposing nearly $7.7 million in civil penalties, along with an additional complaint that will be filed in federal district court. The …
Follow up to previous postings on the domestic surveillance program and AT&T’s alleged participation, today’s article in the Washington Post, A Story of Surveillance – Former Technician ‘Turning In’ AT&T Over NSA Program, by Ellen Nakashima: “…Mark Klein, a former AT&T technician…alleged that the NSA set up a system that vacuumed up Internet and phone-call …
Optimizing Investments in Security Countermeasures: A Practical Tool for Fixed Budgets, by Jonathan Caulkins and Nancy R. Mead, September/October 2007 edition of IEEE Security and Privacy Magazine. “In the article, the team presents a tool and methodology they developed for software engineers and their clients to help them make security decisions when resources are limited.”
Press release: “A federal judge today ruled on a preservation motion filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), ordering that telecommunications companies must preserve any evidence of collaborating with the government in illegal spying on ordinary Americans. In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker ordered the telecommunications companies to halt any routine destruction …
Audit of Security and Controls Over the National Driver Register, October 29, 2007, Project ID: FI-2008-003 (32 pages, PDF) “Summary: On October 29, we issued a final report on the audit of the National Driver Register (NDR) system administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NDR is a central register that enables state …
