[SLA-SF] Intersect Alert, September 6, 2006

Wed Sep 6 20:37:15 PDT 2006

Freedom of Information

Secrecy Report Card 2006

"OpenTheGovernment.org's third annual report, Secrecy Report Card 2006, shows a continued expansion of government secrecy across a broad array of agencies and actions. . . The current administration has exercised an unprecedented level of restriction of access to information about, and suppression of discussion of, the federal government's policies and decisions."

http://www.openthegovernment.org/otg/SRC2006.pdf

Intellectual Property Issues

Google: These books are free

"Google Book Search now offers PDF files of scanned books that can be downloaded and printed for free, Google announced on Wednesday. Readers can find the books by choosing the "Full view books" option on the Google Book Search home page before they activate their search. Once they have chosen a book from the results page, a download button is clearly visible on the top-right corner of the page."

http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-6110950.html

Google Book Search driving surfers to booksellers

"Google's controversial Book Search is driving traffic to booksellers, new figures show. According to web monitoring firm Hitwise, the top destination for surfers visiting Google's UK Book Search was Amazon UK, accounting for 8.3 per cent of visits."

http://www.iwr.co.uk/information-world-review/news/2163566/google-book-search-driving

Release of Google Contract with UC Sparks Criticism

"The University of California (UC) has released the terms of its contract with Google to scan books in UC's library collections. . . Though the contract does not seem much different from the University of Michigan/Google contract made public last year, it still sparked criticism. Internet Archive and Open Content Alliance (OCA) founder Brewster Kahle noted that the contract shows there has been no evolution in Google's practices. Kahle stressed that the Google project is not a public resource but "the private library" of a single corporation, while, on the other hand, the OCA is committed to openness."

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6367340.html

Public Policy

Drafted: I Want You to Deliver E-Government

"Public access computing grows, but libraries need more funding to serve as the first refuge and last resort for e-government support, public computing, and Internet access."

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6359866.html

E-Gov at Five Years, Part Two: Waiting for Success

"Nearly five years after the Bush administration announced that its electronic government program would revolutionize federal operations, the initiatives have had varying levels of success."

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=34895&sid=1

Senator who put 'secret hold' on bill to open federal records is a secret, too

"In an ironic twist, legislation that would open up the murky world of government contracting to public scrutiny has been derailed by a secret parliamentary maneuver. An unidentified senator placed a "secret hold" on legislation introduced by Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., that would create a searchable database of government contracts, grants, insurance, loans and financial assistance, worth $2.5 trillion last year. The database would bring transparency to federal spending and be as simple to use as conducting a Google search. The measure had been unanimously passed in a voice vote last month by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. It was on the fast track for floor action before Congress recessed Aug. 4 when someone put a hold on the measure."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4137637.html

An official secrets act might keep Congress in the dark

"Legislation aimed at criminalizing the disclosure of classified information is a threat not only to whistle blowers and the press but to Congress's exercise of its own oversight function as well."

http://niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=background.view&backgroundid=00121

Intellectual Freedom

ACS Offers Open-Access Option To Authors

"In October, American Chemical Society journal authors will have the option of paying to immediately provide free online access to their articles on the society's website. Authors will also be able to post electronic copies of their sponsored articles on personal websites and institutional repositories. Fees for the program will range from $1,000 to $3,000 per paper, depending on whether the author is an ACS member or is affiliated with an institution that subscribes to ACS journals."

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/84/i36/8436notw9.html

International Outlook

Singapore to Feature Country-Wide Wi-Fi

"By the end of the year, it will be possible to roam almost anywhere in Singapore and get a wireless signal. As part of its Intelligent Nation 2015 program, the island nation will be able to boast of countrywide Wi-Fi coverage in a few months, Bill Chang, executive vice president of wireless service provider SingTel, said in a recent interview."

http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-6110189.html

UK - Government backs FoI effectiveness study

"A major study of whether the UK's Freedom of Information Act (FoI) is successful is to be carried out by Constitution Unit of the University College London (UCL). The study will analyse the impact of the Act and whether it has made the nation's government more accountable."

http://www.iwr.co.uk/information-world-review/news/2163168/government-backs-foi

Google to Give Data To Brazilian Court

"Google Inc., which refused in the past year to hand over user search data to U.S. authorities fighting children's access to pornography, said yesterday that it was complying with a Brazilian court's orders to turn over data that could help identify users accused of taking part in online communities that encourage racism, pedophilia and homophobia. The difference, it says, is scale and purpose."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090100608.html

Australia Attorney General Releases Draft Copyright Amendments

"Australia's Attorney General has released draft copyright amendments that focus on a technological protection measures."

http://www.ag.gov.au/agd/WWW/agdHome.nsf/Page/RWP04FC63D41045DEA5CA2571DF0021BCA3

Russian pirates face the brig

"Legislation that threatens internet pirates with up to five years jail took effect in Russia last week as Moscow pushes to join the World Trade Organisation. The tough amendment to the country's copyright protection law was approved by lawmakers in July 2004."

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20351926^15319^^nbv^15306,00.html

UK - Government data sharing plans heading for failure

"The government will miss its targets for better information sharing in the public sector unless public bodies can radically overhaul how they work together, experts have warned."

http://www.iwr.co.uk/information-world-review/news/2163638/government-sharing-plans

Internet Access

California State Supreme Court To Hear Internet Libel Case

"The California Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in San Francisco Tuesday on whether someone who posts a defamatory comment by another person on the Internet can be sued for libel. Two civil liberties groups say the court's eventual ruling, due in three months, could have far-reaching implications for free speech on the Internet."

http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_247154828.html

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