DOJ IG Semiannual Report to Congress
DOJ’s Semiannual Report to Congress: April 1, 2005 — September 30, 2005, Report prepared by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General. HTML Version PDF Version
NY Gov. Expands DNA Collection of Felons
Press release, December 6, 2005: “Governor George E. Pataki today announced that he has directed the Division of Criminal Justice Services to, for the first time ever, gather DNA from the broadest range of convicted criminals permitted under current law. This will result in the addition of as many as 40,000 profiles to the States …
Report Finds Increased Use of Antispyware But Risk Still Extremely High
Press release: Phishing attacks aimed at identity theft now affect roughly one in four Americans (23%) each month, according to the second annual AOL/National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) Online Safety Study (11 pages, PDF). Additionally, more than two-thirds of consumers (70%) who received such scam e-mails thought they were from legitimate companies, putting them at …
IRS Issues Proposed Regs on Disclosure of Taxpayer Info
IRS press release: “The Internal Revenue Service…issued proposed guidance on the disclosure or use of tax return information by tax return preparers. A key principle underlying the proposed guidance is that tax return preparers may not disclose or use tax return information for purposes other than tax return preparation without the knowing, informed and voluntary …
Deal Reached on Patriot Act Reauthorization Amid Wide Disagreement
News reports this afternoon on the compromise reached by the House and Senate on Patriot Act reauthorization include the strong caveat that not all Senators are satisfied (see statements as follows, from Leahy and Feingold), and opposition continues (specifically from the so-called gang of six). Although 16 provisions will now sunset in four as opposed …
GAO Reports Extensive False Data on Domain Name Registration
Internet Management: Prevalence of False Contact Information for Registered Domain Names, GAO-06-165, November 4, 2005. Highlights. “Based on test results, GAO estimates that 2.31 million domain names (5.14 percent) have been registered with patently false data–data that appeared obviously and intentionally false without verification against any reference data–in one or more of the required contact …
GAO Launches RSS Feeds
GAA now provides daily updates of reports and testimony via RSS. Just click on the orange RSS button on the front page, for further information. [JoAnna Berry, Reference and Research, Government Accountability Office]
Influential Tech Blogs
WSJ free feature: Tech Blogs Produce New Elite to Help Track The Industry’s Issues
Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 Introduced Today
The text of H.R. 4437 A section by section summary November 17, 2005: “the House Homeland Security Committee approved comprehensive, bipartisan legislation to address security problems across U.S. borders.” H.R. 4312, the Border Security and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2005. Information on the Homeland Security Committee’s provisions from H.R. 4312.
Government Reform Cmte. Chair Refuses Requests to Investigate Plame Leak
“In a letter to Chairman Davis, Rep. Waxman asks the Chairman to explain his rationale (letter, 4 pages, PDF) for rejecting requests to investigate the leak of classified information involving CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson and contract abuses at the Department of Homeland Security, while directing the Committee to look into a leak of classified …
Privacy Expert Comments on Google Data Collection Activities
Google’s Empire, Privacy, and Government Access to Personal Data, by Daniel J. Solove.
E-Rulemaking Website Faces Challenges of Expectations and Compliance
Information overload a potential problem for Federal Docket Management System Regulations.gov