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Engaging Privacy and Information Technology in a Digital Age, James Waldo, Herbert S. Lin, and Lynette I. Millett, editors, 456 pages, May 4, 2007 – This books is available in its pre-publication version from the National Academies Press. “Privacy is a growing concern in the United States and around the world. The spread of the …
Follow up to May 5, 2007 posting, Missing TSA Hard Drive Has Data on 100,000 Employees, this additional update from the TSA: “Today the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced a benefit package to provide employees and former employees affected by the data security incident with free credit monitoring for up-to one year. In addition to …
DNA Forensics: Expanding Uses and Information Sharing, September 2006 – “This report explores the history of DNA use by forensic investigators, considers the economics of DNA use as it relates to public safety, and reviews privacy concerns regarding the release of an individual’s genetic information. The report also explores issues associated with combining criminal history …
Press release, May 4, 2007: “Yesterday the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) became aware of a potential data security incident involving approximately 100,000 archived employment records of individuals employed by the agency from January 2002 until August 2005. An external hard drive containing personnel data (including name, social security number, date of birth, payroll information, bank …
Kim Taipale presented Policy Issues for Science and Technology in a “Surveillance Society” at the 32nd Annual American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Forum on Science and Technology Policy, Washington, DC, May 3-4, 2007.
“EPIC, in cooperation with the Stanford Constitutional Law Center, filed a “friend-of-the-court” brief (42 pages, PDF) in Hepting v. AT&T. This lawsuit alleges that AT&T allowed the government to wiretap calls and e-mails without judicial authority. The U.S. government and AT&T seek to dismiss this case. The EPIC brief states, “The statutes and constitutional provisions …
Press release: “Today, the House Judiciary Committee approved four crime bills and sent them to the House floor for consideration. The bills were: HR 1700, the “COPS Improvement Act of 2007;” HR 916, the “John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act of 2007;” HR 1525, the “Internet Spyware Prevention Act of 2007;” and, HR …
Federal Judiciary News Release: “A total of 1,839 orders were issued by federal and state courts in 2006 authorizing or approving the interception of wire, oral or electronic communications, also known as wiretaps. This is a 4 percent increase over the 1,773 orders issued in 2005, according to The 2006 Wiretap Report. The complete report …
Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Defense Biometrics, March 2007 (178 pages, PDF). “The final reports includes overall findings and recommendations that focus on information management and sharing; R&D, material and technology; issues beyond DoD; issues internal to DoD; DoD organizational issues; and legal and privacy issues.”
Press release: “The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), which created the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (Board), requires that “[n]ot less frequently than annually, the Board shall prepare a report to Congress, unclassified to the greatest extent possible…on the Board’s major activities during the preceding period.” This report discusses the …
Press release: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has narrowed to approximately 38,700 the number of people whose private identification information was accessible to the public on a government-wide website. USDA takes seriously its responsibility to protect private information and after learning of the potential exposure, immediately took action to remove the information from the …
Press release: “Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras today announced the completion of the Presidents Identity Theft Task Force strategic plan to combat identity theft. The strategic plan is the result of an unprecedented federal effort to formulate a comprehensive and fully coordinated plan to attack this widespread …
