Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery With Daily Postings Since 2002
Google targeted by search engine rivals: “The steady growth has turned Google into one of the Internet’s biggest success stories, and made the still relatively small company of 1,000 employees a target for some formidable foes. Both Yahoo! and Microsoft are searching for ways to steal Google’s thunder in a showdown that could reshape the …
On July 31, Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL) introduced the 9-11 Memorial Intelligence Reform Act, “aimed at overhauling the Intelligence Community to prevent another successful terrorist attack like the tragedy of September 11, 2001.” “Graham said a top priority is the creation of a Cabinet-level Director of National Intelligence, who would be appointed by the President …
“The Vanderbilt Television News Archive, the worlds most comprehensive collection of television network news programs, marks its 35th anniversary this week by going digital.” [Link] “Since Aug. 5, 1968, archivists at Vanderbilt University have preserved on videotape and indexed nearly 40,000 hours of network news just as they aired on television sets throughout the nation….the …
The Inbox Defense Task Force is “a non-profit legal research organization dedicated to tracking down the true identities of spammers.” The organization lists the following goals on its website: Find the Spammers; Create Courtroom-Quality Documentation; Enable Prosecution and Private Legal Action. A lengthy review of this organization’s work, by Keith H. Hammonds, a Fast Company …
Unpatriotic Acts: The FBI’s Power to Rifle Through Your Records and Personal Belongings Without Telling You, July 2003, from the ACLU. The focus of this 26 page report (pdf) is an examination of, along with related resources and legal documents on, Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, “which gives the FBI unprecedented access to …
CIPA Decision Response: A statement from ALA President Carla D. Hayden and the ALA Executive Board, July 25, 2003.
Defamation Immunity On The Internet, by John W. Dean: “Recently, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unwisely held, in Batzel v. Cremers, that a federal statute immunizes certain statements on the Internet from defamation liability. But Judge Ronald M. Gould dissented, urging a closer look at the consequences of the ruling.”
Prof. Anthony D’Amato, Northwestern University School of Law, notes his opposition to Loyola University Chicago’s compliance with an RIAA subpoena for the names of two students who allegedly engaged in file-sharing, contrary to university policy.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) maintains a no-fly blacklist that may include thousands of names, to which the CIA, FBI, Immigration and Dept. of State contribute information. See also Airline passenger screening tested: “The Homeland Security Department will begin testing a program to classify all airline passengers according to their security risk.” CAPPS II Privacy …
“Microsoft’s Web site was made inaccessible for an hour and 40 minutes Friday afternoon when a denial-of-service attack overwhelmed the site with traffic, making it impossible for legitimate page requests to get through.” [Link]
Robin Good’s Mini Guide: Become a News G-d: How to be the first one to know everything about anything – Intelligent Information Agents Come of Age. This 102 page guide, in pdf, is available for purchase via Robin Good’s Sharewood Tidings website. Arranged in 14 short chapters, it evaluates a wide range of free and …
Music Downloading, File-sharing and Copyright: A Pew Internet Project Data Memo [Link] “The struggle to enforce copyright laws in the digital age continues to be an uphill battle for content owners. Data gathered from Pew Internet & American Life Project surveys fielded during March – May of 2003 show that a striking 67% of Internet …