Category «Privacy»

CRS Legal Analysis of Patriot Act

USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005: A Legal Analysis (74 pages, PDF): “This report describes the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 (the Act) and, where appropriate, discusses the modifications to law made by the USA PATRIOT Act Additional Reauthorizing Amendments Act of 2006.”

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

IRS Hearing on Privacy Standards and Sale of Taxpayer Data

The IRS held a public hearing today on proposed regs that will require taxpayers to specifically consent to the sale of their data as supplied to tax preparers. Proposed Regulation Proposed Consent and Warning Requirements Current Regulation Consumer Groups to Testify before the IRS on Plan to Weaken Taxpayer Privacy Rules Citing concerns about privacy …

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

Data Brokers Supplying Gov’t Don’t Consistently Protect Privacy of Citizen Info

Personal Information: Agencies and Resellers Vary in Providing Privacy Protections, Full-text GAO-06-609T, April 4, 2006. Highlights. “In fiscal year 2005, the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and State and the Social Security Administration reported that they used personal information obtained from resellers for a variety of purposes, including performing criminal investigations, locating witnesses and fugitives, …

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Commerce, E-Government, Government Documents, Privacy

Report Issued on Improving Financial Privacy Notices for Consumers

FTC press release: “Federal regulators [March 31, 2006] released “Evolution of a Prototype Financial Privacy Notice,” a report by Kleimann Communication Group summarizing consumer research commissioned by the regulators as part of their ongoing efforts to develop improved financial privacy notices…The report concludes that consumers need a context for understanding information in financial privacy notices. …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, Privacy

Anti-Spyware Coalition Publishes Guides for Consumers and Enterprise

Press release: The Anti-Spyware Coalition today released two new resources to help consumers and enterprises better protect themselves against spyware and unwanted adware…The coalition’s two new documents walk consumers and network operators through the steps they should be taking to protect their machines against adware, spyware and other malicious software.” Protecting Your Network: Mitigating Spyware …

Subjects: Cybercrime, ID Theft, Internet, Privacy

DOJ Report: Identity Theft, 2004

Press release: “An estimated 3.6 million households, or about 3 percent of all households in the nation, learned that they had been the victim of at least one type of identity theft during a six-month period in 2004, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. Forty-eight percent had experienced an unauthorized use …

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Government, E-Mail, ID Theft, Internet, Privacy

Hearing on Call to Censure the President

An Examination of the Call to Censure the President, Senate Judiciary Committee, Full Committee, March 31, 2006 Sen. Feingold’s Resolution to Censure the President Testimony: Bruce Fein, Partner, Fein & Fein Lee Casey, Partner, Baker & Hostetler Sen. Patrick Leahy Sen. Russ Feingold Related articles and postings: John Dean Blasts Warrantless Eavesdropping An Update on …

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

FTC in 2006: Committed to Consumers and Competition

Press release: “Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras today issued the agency’s 2006 Annual Report at the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting in Washington, DC. The report, entitled “The FTC in 2006: Committed to Consumers and Competition,” (62 pages, PDF) is available now on the Commission’s Web site and includes …

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Government, Government Documents, Privacy

Senate Cmte. Approves Protecting Consumer Phone Records Act

Press release, Thursday, March 30, 2006: The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today approved by voice vote S. 2389, the Protecting Consumer Phone Records Act, which prevents unscrupulous companies and individuals from fraudulently obtaining consumers’ private phone records in a deceptive practice known as “pretexting.” …The Protecting Consumer Phone Records Act, which covers …

Subjects: Congress, Legislation, Privacy

Sunshine in the Courtroom Bill Passed by Senate Judiciary Cmte.

Press release, MArch 30, 2006: “Transparency in federal courtrooms today scored a victory when legislation introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, to allow federal trial and appellate judges to permit cameras in the courtroom passed the Senate Judiciary Committee…The bipartisan “Sunshine in the Courtroom” bill would allow …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, E-Government, Government Documents, Legislation, Privacy