CRS Reports on Congressional Oversight and Protection of Classified Info

Following up with reports related to January 17, 2006 posting, Comparison of Congressional Oversight During Clinton and Bush Administrations, Secrecy News has posted two CRS reports as follows: Congressional Oversight, updated January 3, 2006 (6 pages, PDF) Protection of Classified Information by Congress: Practices and Proposals, updated January 11, 2006 (6 pages, PDF)

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research

Sharing Justice Information Toolkit Released

From The Center for Technology in Government (CTG), University at Albany – Sharing Justice Information: A Capability Assessment Toolkit, November 2005, by Anthony M. Cresswell, Theresa A. Pardo, Donna S. Canestraro, Sharon S. Dawes, and Dubravka Juraga (116 pages, PDF) “This toolkit is designed for justice professionals to use when considering or planning for a …

Subjects: Courts, E-Government, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Administration Defense of Domestic Surveillance Program Escalates

Notable articles today: New York Times: Delicate Dance for Bush in Depicting Spy Program as Asset Washington Post (reg. req’d) Bush Defends Domestic Spying – Deputy National Intelligence Chief Says Program is Targeted on Al Qaeda President Discusses Global War on Terror at Kansas State University, January 23, 2006: “This is a — I repeat …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Privacy

Better Protections Needed for Social Security Numbers Used By Gov’t Contractors

Social Security Numbers: Stronger Protections Needed When Contractors Have Access to SSNs GAO-06-238, January 23, 2006. Highlights. “Federal regulation and oversight of SSN sharing varied across the four industries GAO reviewed, revealing gaps in federal law and agency oversight in the four industries GAO reviewed that share SSNs with contractors. Financial services companies must comply …

Subjects: Government Documents, Privacy

90% of Net Users Send and Receive Email

Pew Internet & American Life Project press release, January 22, 2006: “Internet access is the norm for most Americans, up to age 70, and all age cohorts of internet users (ages 12 and older) are equally likely to use email; about 90% of all internet users send or receive email. Given the many other variations …

Subjects: Internet

Questions About NSA Surveillance From the Not So Distant Past

Statement for the Record of NSA Director Lt Gen Michael V. Hayden, USAF, House Permanet Select Committee on Intelligence, 12 April 2000: “In performing our mission, NSA constantly deals with information that must remain confidential so that we can continue to collect foreign intelligence information on various subjects that are of vital interest to the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Privacy