Category «Privacy»

Coalition of Public and Consumer Groups Criticize Proposed Data Breach Legislation

EPIC: “A data breach notification bill [H.R. 3997] backed by the House Financial Services Committee drew criticisms from state law enforcement officials and a coalition of consumer groups, who said that existing state laws are more effective at protecting consumers. In a letter to House leadership signed by 48 state attorneys general, the National Association …

Subjects: Congress, Cybercrime, ID Theft, Legislation, Privacy

House Passes Bill Requiring Mandatory Net Filtering By Libraries

H.R.5319 – To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require recipients of universal service support for schools and libraries to protect minors from commercial social networking websites and chat rooms. CDT: “The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would force schools and libraries to block chat and social networking sites as a …

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

GAO: Key Federal Privacy Laws Do Not Require Information Resellers to Safeguard All Sensitive Data

Personal Information: Key Federal Privacy Laws Do Not Require Information Resellers to Safeguard All Sensitive Data, Full text GAO-06-674, and Highlights, June 26, 2006. “The growth of information resellers–companies that collect and resell publicly available and private information on individuals–has raised privacy and security concerns about this industry. These companies collectively maintain large amounts of …

Subjects: E-Commerce, E-Government, Government Documents, ID Theft, Privacy

IRS IG Audit Report on Compliance With Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act of 1997

Treasury Inspecter General for Tax Administration – Increased Managerial Attention Is Needed to Ensure Taxpayer Accounts Are Monitored to Detect Unauthorized Employee Accesses, July 24, 2006. Reference Number: 2006-20-111. “The Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act of 1997 made it a criminal offense to access or inspect tax information without proper authorization. A person convicted of any …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, ID Theft, Legal Research, Privacy

New Blog Focuses on Tech Policy, Civil Liberties

“CDT launched PolicyBeta, a new blog dedicated to expanding the dialogue about technology policy, civil liberties and preserving democratic values in the digital age. PolicyBeta will feature regular posts on issues ranging from domestic surveillance to spyware, and will provide CDT experts an opportunity to discuss in detail the latest trends and developments affecting the …

Subjects: Blogs, Civil Liberties, PC Security, Privacy

Article Examines Digital Rights Management and Consumer Consent

Matwyshyn, Andrea M., “Technoconsen(t)sus” (May 2006). Posted July 19, 2006 [Link to download] “Law is contributing to an information security paradox. Consumers are regularly “consenting” to the installation of computer code that makes them more vulnerable to harms such as identity theft. In particular, digital rights management technology accompanying digital music has recently left a …

Subjects: Copyright, Digital Signatures, ID Theft, Intellectual Property, Patent and Trademark, Privacy

MarkMonitor Reports Domain-Based Phishing Attacks Now Represent 73 Percent of All Phishing Scams

Press release: “According to MarkMonitor’s AntiFraud Operations Center™ (AFOC), domain-based phishing attacks now represent 73 percent of all attacks, up from 35 percent just 18 months ago.” Related reference in this press release to an academic paper titled, Why Phishing Works. beSpacific postings on ID theft and cybercrime

Subjects: Cybercrime, Domain Names, E-Mail, ID Theft, Privacy

Judge Denies Government's Motion to Dismiss AT&T Case

Press release: “A federal judge today denied the government’s motion to dismiss the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF’s) case against AT&T for collaborating with the NSA in illegal spying of millions of ordinary Americans. This allows the case to go forward in the courts.” Related postings on domestic surveillance programs

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Patriot Act, Privacy