[SLA-SF] Intersect Alert, April 11, 2006

Tue Apr 11 20:23:24 PDT 2006

Freedom of Information

California Bill to shield divorce records advances

"An Assembly committee Tuesday approved [Senate Bill 1015] that would limit public access to divorce records after adding a provision that would require judges to find that withholding the financial information of parties in the divorce case outweighed the public's right of access to the information."

http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/14238790p-15059089c.html

(registration required)

Crucial information on Tennessee traffic reports could be left out

"A bill under consideration in the [Tennessee] state Legislature would interfere with your ability to look over accident reports filed by law enforcement. If the threat to public information wasn't bad enough, official estimates put the cost to the state at about $400,000 for implementation. Under the proposal, all personal information in accident reports - including names of drivers, passengers and witnesses - could be blanked out."

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060403/OPINION01/604030301/1014

Orwellian

Agencies Not Protecting Privacy Rights, GAO Says

"Government agencies that use private information services for law enforcement, counterterrorism and other investigations often do not follow federal rules to protect Americans' privacy, according to a report yesterday by the Government Accountability Office. The Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and two other agencies examined by the GAO spent about $30 million last year on companies that maintain billions of electronic files about adults' current and past addresses, family members and associates, buying habits, personal finances, listed and unlisted phone numbers, and much more. But those agencies often do not limit the collection and use of information about law-abiding citizens, as required by the Privacy Act of 1974 and other laws. The agencies also don't ensure the accuracy of the information they are buying, according to the GAO report."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/04/AR2006040401727.html

USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005: A Legal Analysis

On March 9, the President signed into law the USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act, which made permanent 14 of the 16 sections of the Patriot Act that were set to expire. A new report from the Congressional Research Service describes the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 (the Act) and, where appropriate, discusses the modifications to law made by the USA PATRIOT Act Additional Reauthorizing Amendments Act of 2006. 

Find the report at http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/intel/RL33332.pdf

House Intelligence Committee Report on the 2007 Intelligence Authorization Act Published

Government Secrecy comments on aspects of the new House Intelligence Committee report published April 6, 2006. included in the report is a request that the Director of National Intelligence conduct a study on the feasibility of revoking the pensions of personnel in the intelligence community who commit unauthorized disclosures of classified information. In another passage, the Committee suggests that even the unauthorized receipt of classified information, and not merely its unauthorized disclosure, should be subject to legal penalties:

"The Committee's work plan for this fiscal year includes reviewing all legal avenues to bring to justice those who violate the law, including those who knowingly receive, what is essentially, stolen classified information." Find the report at http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2006_rpt/hrpt109-411.html

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2006/04/house_intel_committee_urges_ne.html

Public Policy

Maine Seeks to Opt Out of GATS Library Agreement

Maine Gov. John E. Baldacci has asked the Bush administration to exclude the state from General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) treaty obligations specifically related to libraries, archives, and museums. The World Trade Organization began renewed negotiations on specifics of the treaty in Geneva in late March.

http://www.ala.org/al_onlineTemplate.cfm?Section=april2006ab&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=122966

Government Reform

Executive Branch Reform Bill

The "Executive Branch Reform Act of 2006," HR 5112, introduced by Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) and Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA), and unanimously supported by the Committee's members contains landmark reforms of the executive branch. Find the bill at http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/Documents/20060406163205-10801.PDF.

http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1038

Internet Access

Net Neutrality Proposal Defeated

"A Republican-controlled House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Wednesday defeated a proposal that would have levied extensive regulations on broadband providers and forcibly prevented them from offering higher-speed video services to partners or affiliates. By an 23-to-8 margin, the committee members rejected a Democratic-backed "Net neutrality" amendment to a current piece of telecommunications legislation."

http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6058223.html

San Francisco picks companies for Wi-Fi

"Google's bid to blanket San Francisco with a free wireless Internet service cleared a major hurdle Wednesday when a city panel identified the search leader and EarthLink as the best candidates for the ambitious project. The recommendation, completing a six-week review, allows the city to begin negotiations with Google and EarthLink, which decided to team together earlier this year after initially bidding against each other. The companies will pay to build the entire network, which is expected to cost at least $15 million"

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2006-04-05-google-earthlink-sanfrancisco_x.htm

Copyright Issues

The Role of Fair Use in Libraries and Education

The testimony from the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) before the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection is now available in the Association of Research Libraries Bimonthly Report.  The LCA consists of five major library associations-the American Association of Law Libraries, the American Library Association, ARL, the Medical Library Association, and the Special Libraries Association.  The testimony was presented on November 16, 2005, by Prue Adler, ARL, at a hearing on "Fair Use:  Its Effects on Consumers and Industry."

http://www.arl.org/newsltr/244/fairuse.html

International Outlook

Singapore warns political bloggers

"Political debate on the Internet could fuel "dangerous discourse" in Singapore, the city-state's government said on Monday, warning that Singaporeans who post political commentary on Web sites could face prosecution. Speaking in parliament, Senior Minister of State Balaji Sadasivan said anyone using the Internet to "persistently propagate, promote or circulate political issues" about Singapore during election periods was breaking the law."

http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6057083.html

Canada Establishes New Cross-Border Data Privacy Measures

The Canadian government has released a new document establishing a strategy for concerns about cross-border data flows, the USA Patriot Act, and personal privacy.  The strategy addresses data held by the federal government.

http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/gospubs/TBM_128/pm-prp/pm-prp_e.asp

April Fools! From Library Journal's April Fool's Day issue:

Oklahomophobic? Sorting Out the Gay Books Controversy

After debating plans to segregate "gay-themed" books in state public libraries, the Oklahoma legislature has announced that it has commissioned a report on "gay books" in the state. Among the report's aims: to ascertain if "books become gay on the shelf, or whether they are printed that way." Also, the report will examine the phenomenon known now as "Brokeback" books, books that may not know they are gay, or are gay only on certain shelves. LJ asks several librarians for their take.

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6320799.html

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