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June 14, 2007
Headlines - FTC Joins Foreign Partners in Recommending Enhanced International Cooperation to Enforce Privacy Laws
- Joint Committee on Taxation Description of Energy Advancement And Investment Act of 2007
- DHS OIG Privacy Policy Guidance Memo Regarding Use of Social Security Numbers
- GAO Report on Electronic Absentee Voting Initiatives for Military and Overseas
- DOD Report - Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq
- Complaint Against Federal Judge: The Process Explained
- Investigations Involving the Internet and Computer Networks
- Most of Us Still Drive to Work – Alone
- Over 1 Million Potential Victims of Botnet Cyber Crime
- Openness and Accountability: A Study of Transparency in Global Media Outlets
 FTC Joins Foreign Partners in Recommending Enhanced International Cooperation to Enforce Privacy Laws : "The FTC and its foreign partners are calling for stepped-up cooperation among privacy regulators and law enforcement authorities to promote greater protection for personal information. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a 30-nation forum that promotes economic growth, trade, and development, issued recommendations today." International Cooperation to Enforce Privacy Laws: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Recommendation on Cross-border Co-operation in the Enforcement of Laws Protecting Privacy Text of the OECD Recommendation OECD Information and Communication Technologies Joint Committee on Taxation Description of Energy Advancement And Investment Act of 2007 In connection with a markup scheduled by the Senate Finance Committee for June 19, 2007, the Joint Committee on Taxation has issued Description Of The "Energy Advancement And Investment Act Of 2007" (JCX-31-07) and the estimated revenue effects (JCX-32-07). GAO Report on Electronic Absentee Voting Initiatives for Military and Overseas Elections: Action Plans Needed to Fully Address Challenges in Electronic Absentee Voting Initiatives for Military and Overseas Citizens, GAO-07-774, June 14, 2007 "The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) protects the rights of military personnel, their dependents, and overseas citizens to vote by absentee ballot. The Department of Defense (DOD) and others have reported that absentee voting, which relies primarily on mail, can be slow and may, in certain circumstances, serve to disenfranchise these voters." DOD Report - Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq Press release: "It is too early to discern trends out of the U.S. troop "surge" as part of the Baghdad security plan, defense officials said here today. Speaking on background, the officials discussed the quarterly report to Congress, titled "Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq." The report was released yesterday, but the cut-off for data in the report was May 14. "It is too early to assess the impact of the new way forward," a senior defense official said." The final U.S. brigade combat team does not become operational until this week, the official said. The State Department has set up the enhanced provincial reconstruction teams, and the Iraqi government itself is gaining more confidence as it moves forward. All these are indicators, but need time to mature, the official said. The official said there was some progress from February to May. There has been a change in the character of attacks, and there has been some economic progress. "But at the same time, I think it is important to recognize that oil production -- the principle economic driver in Iraq -- remained at the same levels as in 2006, as did electrical generation," the official said. On the political front, few legislative initiatives have been completed in the reporting period, but some work has been done to move initiatives forward, the official said. Overall, both positive and negative indicators are in the report, the official said." Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq, June 2007 Report to Congress in accordance with the Department of Defense Appropriations Act 2007 (Public Law 109-289), 51 pages, PDF. Complaint Against Federal Judge: The Process Explained "A Judicial Misconduct and Disability page explains how to complain about a federal judge, in any of the 13 judicial circuits. It's one outgrowth of a report in which a committee chaired by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer called for improvements in how complaints are handled." Investigations Involving the Internet and Computer Networks "This National Institute of Justice Special Report is intended as a resource for individuals responsible for investigations involving the use of the Internet and other computer networks. Any crime could involve devices that communicate through the Internet or through a network. Criminals may use the Internet for numerous reasons, including trading/sharing information (e.g., documents, photographs), concealing their identity, and gathering information on victims. The report is among a series of guides on investigating electronic crime." Investigations Involving the Internet and Computer Networks, By National Institute of Justice, January 2007 Most of Us Still Drive to Work – Alone Press release, Public Transportation Commuters Concentrated in a Handful of Large Cities: "Despite rising fuel costs, commuters continued to drive their cars in 2005, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau analysis of data from the American Community Survey. The survey, gathered over the course of the year, found that driving to work was the favored means of commute of nearly nine out of 10 workers (87.7 percent), with most people (77 percent) driving alone." Over 1 Million Potential Victims of Botnet Cyber Crime Press release: "[June 13, 2007] the Department of Justice and FBI announced the results of an ongoing cyber crime initiative to disrupt and dismantle "botherders" and elevate the public's cyber security awareness of botnets. OPERATION BOT ROAST is a national initiative and ongoing investigations have identified over 1 million victim computer IP addresses. The FBI is working with our industry partners, including the CERT Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University, to notify the victim owners of the computers. Through this process the FBI may uncover additional incidents in which botnets have been used to facilitate other criminal activity." How to Protect Your Computer Openness and Accountability: A Study of Transparency in Global Media Outlets International Center for Media and the Public Agenda (University of Maryland), Openness and Accountability: A Study of Transparency in Global Media Outlets: "The Libby, Enron and Arthur Andersen cases have all put the issue of "transparency" in the forefront of the news. But how transparent are the media themselves? How candid are they about how they cover the news? How willing are the media to make their reporting and editing standards public? According to this new ICMPA study most news outlets are unwilling to let the public see how their editorial process works. Fewer than half of the websites publicly corrected mistakes in their stories and only a handful shared with readers the journalistic and ethical standards that theoretically guide their newsrooms." Main Results Study Conclusions Understanding Results Why Transparency? Study Methodology Authors
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