[SLA-SF] Intersect Alert, June 8, 2006

Thu Jun 8 21:22:01 PDT 2006

Freedom of Information

Most Americans Back Online Access To Federally Funded Research

A majority of U.S. adults say federally funded research findings on health issues and other topics should be available for free to doctors and the general public, according to a recent Harris Interactive poll. In an online survey of 2,501 U.S. adults, more than 80% of Americans say they agree strongly or somewhat that research should be available for free via the Internet because the research is paid for with U.S. tax dollars.

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB114893698047965609-lMyQjAxMDE2NDM4MTkzMzE2Wj.html

>From the Start, Bush White House Kept Secrets

The secrecy that has become such a hallmark of the Bush administration did not begin with Sept. 11, as the White House often suggests. It began in the earliest days of January 2001, as the administration was taking shape.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5420680

Top 25 Search Phrases Conducted at the CIA FOIA Collection Listed

The CIA has a site that enables people to access and search CIA information such as previously released documents that were approved for release to the public. Gary Price discovers that the CIA has come up with a list of the top 25 searches at the CIA's FOIA Electronic Reading Room. Which phrases made the top 25, yea, UFO is one of them, what are the others? The page is expected to be updated twice per month, one the first and fifteenth of each month. 

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/060607-091541

Sotheby's Auctioning King Papers

For years, Sotheby's auction house has tried to sell the papers, manuscripts and personal library of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. But previous negotiations with various institutions came to naught, including a private sale in 2003 that was called off. Now, on June 30, Sotheby's will auction the King collection, hoping that an institution will step forward and pay from $15 million to $30 million for the lot of more than 10,000 items.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/83-06082006-667574.html

Smithsonian Head Testifies on Showtime Contract

Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence M. Small told the House Administration Committee May 25 that the museum is locked into its contract with the Showtime Networks cable channels for 30 years. He also testified that the controversial deal between the Smithsonian and Showtime to create television programming, which would limit other producers' use of the collections, guarantees the museum $500,000 a year and gives it 10% ownership in the new Smithsonian on Demand channel.

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2006abc/june2006ab/smithsonian.htm

Digital History

Fragile digital data in danger of fading past history's reach

It is estimated that in the next three years, humanity will generate more data than it has in the past 1,000 years --- nearly all of it digital. Many of the records that once allowed historians to study a society's history --- from personal correspondence to government documents --- may be slipping, irretrievably, into the digital ether. "It's a major historical problem and presents, potentially, a major political problem," says Air Force historian Eduard Mark. "Someday it will erupt. There will probably be a major loss to history." 

http://www.ajc.com/search/content/auto/epaper/editions/today/news_446806c1e2a170f00064.html

Intellectual Freedom

AAP science publishers club to fight US Fed Research Act

STM publishers are coming together within the Association of American Publishers (AAP) to fight the proposed Federal Research Public Access Act 2006. The US Act aims to ensure that all research papers funded by the US government are made publicly available within six months.

http://www.iwr.co.uk/information-world-review/news/2157860/aap-science-publishers-club

Orwellian

Senate Committee Approves Bill to Authorize NSA Snooping

In a grave threat to civil liberties, the Senate Judiciary Committee today approved legislation that would gut the historic Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, allowing the President to carry out wiretaps and other forms of electronic surveillance inside the United States without a court order. The bill -- sponsored by Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), but radically altered by his Republican colleagues -- would make judicial review for electronic surveillance optional.

http://www.cdt.org/headlines/898

CDT Analysis of Specter Proposal [PDF]: http://www.cdt.org/security/nsa/20060515cdt-nssa.pdf

Public Policy

Draft plan for EPA libraries available

A copy of the "EPA FY 2007 Library Plan: National Framework" is available at Free Government Information.

http://freegovinfo.info/node/508

ABA to Examine Constitutional, Legal Issues of Presidential Signing Statements

The American Bar Association today (June 5, 2006) announced creation of a Task Force on Presidential Signing Statements and the Separation of Powers Doctrine to examine constitutional and legal issues raised by presidents of the United States attaching legal interpretations to federal legislation they sign.

http://www.abanews.org/releases/news060506.html

Internet Access

Brin says Google compromised principles

Google Inc. co-founder Sergey Brin acknowledged Tuesday the dominant Internet company has compromised its principles by accommodating Chinese censorship demands. He said Google is wrestling to make the deal work before deciding whether to reverse course. Meeting with reporters near Capitol Hill, Brin said Google had agreed to the censorship demands only after Chinese authorities blocked its service in that country. Google's rivals accommodated the same demands - which Brin described as "a set of rules that we weren't comfortable with" - without international criticism, he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060606/ap_on_hi_te/google_censorship_3

Press slam China's net policy

Global press leaders have told China to stop internet censorship and slammed Western companies that helped it develop software to censor internet sites. They called on China "to end its pervasive censorship of the internet, release all journalists and cyber-dissidents currently detained and remove all restrictions that discourage an open and free media environment in the country."

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19315505^15342^^nbv^15306-15319,00.html

RWB Says China Has Tightened Grip On Web

The French organization Reporters Without Borders condemned the Chinese government Tuesday for its increasing censorship of the internet. RWB claims that the Chinese government has expanded its efforts to block Chinese citizens from accessing Google, Google News and Google Mail, and that software programs like Dynapass, Freegate and Ultrasurf, which were designed to allow users to bypass China's censorship methods, have been "neutralized."

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/internet/0,71091-0.html

Intellectual Property Issues

SLA Submits Comments on Copyright Section 108

SLA and AALL submitted comments to the Section 108 Study Group. The Section 108 Study Group is a select committee of copyright experts, convened by the Library of Congress, charged with updating for the digital world the Copyright Act's balance between the rights of creators and copyright owners and the needs of libraries and archives. SLA and AALL believe that the current criteria in Section 108(a) granting exceptions to libraries and archives should be maintained. The current standard is flexible permitting various libraries and archives to copy works for purposes other than "commercial advantage," under certain circumstances. This language permits law and special libraries to facilitate the administration of justice and the efficient working of the legal system and government institutions. Read Comments at https://www.sla.org/documents/PPolicy/042806Sec108commentsApr06.doc.

Non-Profits and Companies Alert Hill to Dangers of International Broadcasting Treaty 

Congress should take a close look at a proposed treaty that would give broadcasters new control over TV programming they may not own, groups of non-profits and corporations told Congress today. At issue is a treaty being drafted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that would give broadcasters, cablecasters and Webcasters "a broad and unprecedented 50-year intellectual property right" over content they distribute. Such proposed new rights could harm consumers by allowing broadcasters to restrict access to the content and limit use of what otherwise would be legal access by consumers.

http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/434

Library, Archives Associations file federal appeals court brief on copyright infringement case

Today the American Library Association (ALA), American Association of Law Libraries, Association of Research Libraries, Medical Library Association, Society of American Archivists, and Special Libraries Association filed a friend of the court brief in support of the National Geographic Society's (NGS) right to re-publish works in a digital format without seeking permission of authors or other contributors.

http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2006/june2006/ngsamicus.htm

International Outlook

U.K. journalists call for Yahoo boycott

The union representing journalists in the U.K. and Ireland called on its 40,000 members to boycott all Yahoo products and services to protest the Internet company's reported actions in China. The National Union of Journalists said it sent a letter on Friday to Dominique Vidal, Yahoo Europe's vice president, denouncing the company for allegedly providing information to Chinese authorities about journalists. The union also said it would stop using all Yahoo-operated services.

http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-6079478.html

Quebec to amend law to protect transfer of personal information to U.S.

Quebec plans to follow the lead of several other provinces in attempting to protect its residents from the prying eyes of the American government. Quebec's 12-year-old law governing the release of personal information by private businesses will be enhanced, partly in reaction to the USA Patriot Act enacted to give broader FBI access to records held by U.S. firms. The proposals, which are expected to be passed later this month, would require public bodies and private companies to ensure the information they send outside the province is as secure as it is in Quebec, said Richard Parent, a government official.

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/politics/news/shownews.jsp?content=n060531A

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