Blog on Iraq and Related News
Infomania is a blog with links to Iraqi related news and web resources, maintained by Elisabeth L. Donovan, Miami Herald Research Editor.
Web Searching and Information Retrieval
Web search: how the Web has changed information retrieval. “This paper suggests that the significance of the topical metadata controversy depends on the technological appropriateness of adding them to Web pages. This paper surveys Web technology with an eye on assessing the appropriateness of Web pages as hosts for topical metadata. The survey reveals Web …
DOJ Backs Music Industry In Privacy Case
On April 18, the DOJ filed a brief with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that supports the RIAA’s case against Verizon to compel the release of personal customer data of an individual who allegedly engaged in Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) violations through file swapping. The DOJ contends the government’s position …
Budget Short-Fall for E-Gov Initiative
From the Washington Post: “An “e-government” program to make the federal government more citizen-friendly is $40 million short of its intended budget, which could hurt White House efforts to improve public access to regulations, information and services.” See also this interview with Mark Forman, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s associate director of information …
Patent Office Overwhelmed By Backlog
Via Slashdot, this WTOP Radio Network (Washington, D.C.) report indicates that the USPTO has at a minimum a two year backlog for approval of a new patent. Patent Office Director James E. Rogan went on record to Congress warning that this backlog could rise to over one million requests by 2008. Kevin W. Grierson comments: …
Public Disclosure on Contracts to Rebuild Iraq
New legislation introduced on April 10 by Senators Wyden, Clinton and Collins: To require public disclosure of noncompetitive contracting for the reconstruction of the infrastructure of Iraq, and for other purposes (S. 876).
Gov't Contract for Personal Data on Foreign Citizens
Via FOIA requests, EPIC has obtained documentation on the federal government’s contracts and pricing for access to database records of personal information on citizens from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Columbia, and Costa Rica, from public records group ChoicePoint.
Did Russians Use Blogs to Aid Iraqis?
According to social policy researcher and author Daniel Forbes, “the Russian military analysis Web site, Iraqwar.ru,….offered detailed predictions about coalition troop movements many hours or even days in advance,” but was yanked off-line last week.
Meta Search Engine Results and Paid Placement
From Consumer WebWatch: Meta-search Sites Compile Results But Don’t Always Tell You Who’s Paying for Placement.
Interview with Prof. Felton on Legal-Tech Issues
Professor Edward Felton, whose blog Freedom to Tinker focuses on information technology and law issues, was interviewed by Slashdot yesterday. Issues addressed include the DMCA, compulsory copyright liscensing and network identity.
New South Carolina Bill on ID Theft
The South Carolina Senate approved The Consumer Identity Theft Protection Act (S. 222) on April 16. The bill provides for the creation of an identity theft database by the Attorney General, expedited court proceedings for victims of ID theft, stricter verification of card holder identification by credit card companies, and blocks the distribution of inaccurate …
Piracy, Digital Copyright and the Movie Industry
Two recent articles focusing on the digital rights controversy merit noting: The Pirates Among Us: “The entertainment industry is battling the illegal distribution of copyrighted music and movie files-and will stop at nothing to enlist your help.” Pirates and Posses: The Battle over Digital Copyright by James L. Gattuso, Bruce Mehlman, Alec French, Gary Shapiro, …