Freedom of Information

US government sends itself a takedown notice

As you may know, works of the U.S. Government are not protected by copyright in the U.S. (17 USC §105), but we often discover copyrighted government publications that one would reasonably think would be in the public domain and, more recently, we see works that were treated as public domain in print suddenly being treated as copyrighted when they are converted to digital. No matter how clear the law is, this can lead to confusing situations.
http://freegovinfo.info/node/3920

Open access: four ways it could enhance academic freedom

The power of funding alone should not be enough to override academic freedom, argues Curt Rice, nor does open access automatically skew the world of scholarship
http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2013/apr/22/open-access-academic-freedom-publishing

Order and Liberty: The DPLA Launches

I wasn’t entirely sure what the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) would look like when the long-awaited launch date of April 18 approached. The suspense is finally over: it looks great.
The DPLA is an effort to unify access to cultural assets of the nation and make them free to all. We are not the first country to try this; in fact we’re a bit behind, perhaps because we have a tradition of local library planning and support and because we don’t have a true national library.
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/library-babel-fish/order-and-liberty-dpla-launches#ixzz2SBtsGG8R

Owner, new CEO of Powell’s Books see strength in brick and mortar

It’s tough to think about how people will read in 50 years when you’re worrying about what they’ll read tomorrow. So after just a couple of years as chief executive of Powell’s Books, Emily Powell — granddaughter of the bookseller’s founder — told employees last month she would step down and focus on the Portland company’s long-term strategy in a quickly changing market.
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/04/owner_new_ceo_of_powells_books.html

Public Policy

3D-printed guns are inevitable

NEW YORK–For months, a debate has raged in the media and on Capitol Hill about whether or not society (and the law) should allow 3D-printed guns. After listening to Cody Wilson speak for a few minutes, one can’t help but come away feeling that the national discussion is moot: 3D-printed firearms are inevitable.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57581053-76/3d-printed-guns-are-inevitable/

Privacy Concerns

The Dark Side of the Digital Revolution

How do you explain to people that they are a YouTube sensation, when they have never heard of YouTube or the Internet? That’s a question we faced during our January visit to North Korea, when we attempted to engage with the Pyongyang traffic police. You may have seen videos on the Web of the capital city’s “traffic cops,” whose ballerina-like street rituals, featured in government propaganda videos, have made them famous online.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324030704578424650479285218

Feds Push for Backdoor Wiretap Capabilities

Washington – The Washington Post reported today that the FBI is seeking authority to require surveillance backdoors in all popular Internet products and services.
“A wiretapping mandate is a vulnerability mandate,” said CDT Senior Staff Technologist Joe Hall. “The unintended consequences of this proposal are profound. At the very time when the nation is concerned about cybersecurity, the FBI proposal has the potential to make our communications less secure. Once you build a wiretap capability into products and services, the bad guys will find a way to use it.”
https://www.cdt.org/pr_statement/feds-push-backdoor-wiretap-capabilities

Intellectual Property

Human genome: US Supreme Court hears patents case

The US Supreme Court has heard arguments questioning whether the human genome can be claimed as intellectual property. The case relates to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in 2009, and centres on whether companies should be able to patent genes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22157410

International Outlook

World Book Night 2013: half a million free books to be handed out

20,000 volunteers will hand out half a million books tonight as part of World Book Night 2013. The event, now in its third year, aims to promote literacy and share the joy of books with people who might not normally read.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10011224/World-Book-Night-2013-half-a-million-free-books-to-be-handed-out.html

Please feel free to pass along in part or in its entirety.

The Intersect Alert is a newsletter of the Government Relations Committee, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Special Libraries Association.

Freedom of Information

Debate Continues Over Enhanced, Interactive eBooks

“Last week, The Guardian ran an article about the introduction of “next generation” ebooks at this year’s London Book Fair. Publisher Faber&Faber unveiled an updated, gaming-style edition of John Buchan’s The 39 Steps, created with the help of The Story Mechanics, with enhancements like hand-created digital visuals of turn-of-the-century Great Britain, stop-frame animation, and the ability to unlock achievements throughout the book

http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/04/22/debate-continues-over-enhanced-interactive-ebooks/

Public Libraries, Corporate Publishers and

“Last week Simon & Schuster signed a deal with 3M and the NYPL to distribute eBooks into libraries. Now all of the “Big6? corporate publishers have some type of agreement selling eBooks into public libraries. Libraries are indispensable. Publishers agree on this. Eventually the business models will all align and every publisher will make available their entire list of digital to libraries.”

http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/04/19/public-libraries-corporate-publishers-and-ebooks/

Public Policy

Hill’s newest earmarks: Sequester exemptions

Sequestration exemptions are shaping up to be Washington’s newest version of earmarks.  Agencies, companies and other groups are on the hunt for Capitol Hill allies with the juice to save their pet issues from the full force of the across-the-board cuts. Some have already been successful.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/hills-newest-earmarks-sequester-exemptions-90470.html#ixzz2RVik3qAZ

Senate energy committee gives Ernest Moniz thumbs-up

Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor Ernest Moniz has emerged as the anti-Chuck Hagel, easily passing his first Senate test and even winning support from conservative Republicans.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 21-1 Thursday morning to approve Moniz’s nomination for energy secretary.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/senate-energy-committee-gives-moniz-thumbs-up-90303.html#ixzz2RVjNute9

Harry Reid wants online sales tax on Senate floor

Majority Leader Harry Reid began the process late Tuesday that would allow the bill, known as the Marketplace Fairness Act, to come before the full chamber without first going through the Senate Finance Committee — whose leaders largely dislike the proposal.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/harry-reid-wants-online-sales-tax-on-senate-floor-90233.html#ixzz2RVk0jtrG

 Privacy Concerns

Chuck Grassley eyes former aide in Medicare Advantage leak

A Washington law firm and a former congressional aide are facing scrutiny over a leak of sensitive details on Medicare Advantage payment rates that may have sparked hundreds of millions of dollars in stock trading on insurance companies before the information was made public.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/grassley-eyes-former-aides-role-in-market-intelligence-90197.html

 House Passes CISPAfrom Center for Democracy & Technology – Keeping the Internet Open, Innovative and Free

Washington — Today, the House of Representatives passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). Although the bill was improved before final passage, it remains fundamentally flawed. CDT reaffirms it opposition to the bill.

https://www.cdt.org/pr_statement/house-passes-cispa

Note to Full Text Reports followers — Grab It When You See It!

Our friends Gary Price and Shirl Kennedy over at Full Text Reports have a handy reminder today:

…some of the papers and reports posted on FullTextReports.com are freely available online for just a limited time before they disappear behind a paywall (or go away entirely). If you see something you suspect might be useful to you (or a colleague) in the future, download it the day you see it because it may not be accessible later without a subscription (or it may have been moved or taken offline).

Just another reason to remember that libraries should be collecting, not pointing.

http://freegovinfo.info/node/3918

Leaked E-mails Show the State Department’s Top Watchdog May Lack Independence

The independence of the de facto State Department Inspector General (IG), Ambassador Harold Geisel, is in question due to information obtained by POGO, including several troubling State Department e-mails. For instance, POGO has learned that Geisel has recused himself from a State Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigation involving Under Secretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy and a company called Aurora, LLC. Geisel’s recusal is due to a perceived conflict of interest between him and Kennedy. Kennedy is in charge of State’s day-to-day operations.

http://pogoarchive.pub30.convio.net/pogo-files/alerts/government-oversight/go-ig-20101118.html

Intellectual Property

 International Outlook

Australian census made both easier and more difficult to freely access

Here’s a reminder that we all have to be constantly diligent to make sure govt information continues to be freely available for the long term!  Australian Census Data Released Under CC License, But Official Site Tries To Make It Hard To Download.

http://freegovinfo.info/node/3919

Please feel free to pass along in part or in its entirety.

The Intersect Alert is a newsletter of the Government Relations Committee, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Special Libraries Association.

Freedom of Information

The war that never was: Most elaborate Wikipedia hoax ever as 4,500 word article on ‘Bicholim Conflict’ – a fictitious fight for Goan independence – fooled site for FIVE YEARS

It was voted a ‘good article’ – a Wikipedia badge of honor – and sat happily on the online encyclopedia for more than half a decade. But editors have lately discovered a small issue with the site’s meticulously written 4,500 word article detailing the 17th century Bicholim Conflict.
It was entirely made up.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257482/The-war-Wikipedia-fooled-years-Bicholim-Conflict-article-elaborate-4-500-word-hoax.html

Report on NYC Public Libraries – Branches of Opportunity

Branches of Opportunity, January 2013, Center for an Urban Future – “As more and more New Yorkers turn to digital books, Wikipedia and other online tools for information and entertainment, there is a growing sense that the age of the public library is over. But, in reality, New York City’s public libraries are more essential than ever.
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/032346.html

US LIBRARY GIVES AFGHAN LEADER DIGITAL TREASURES

“The Library of Congress is using a $2 million gift to digitize cultural treasures and records from Afghanistan to give to that country’s libraries and universities. The gift was announced Friday at the U.S. State Department in a ceremony with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. A grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York will fund the project.”
http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/01/12/us-library-gives-afghan-leader-digital-treasures/

In this university’s laptop vending machine, the MacBooks are free

“Philadelphia’s Drexel University has installed a Macbook vending machine in the university’s Haggerty library. The kiosk dispenses MacBooks free of charge to Drexel students, staff, and faculty, who can use the machines for up to five hours at a time. The goal is simply to help students get better, safer access to technology. Students toting laptops are targets for muggers
http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/01/10/in-this-universitys-laptop-vending-machine-the-macbooks-are-free/

Public Policy

NYU Video At Risk Guidelines for Section 108 (c) Preservation

An exciting new resource developed by the Video at Risk team, this new report draws on the expertise of working video librarians, together with copyright lawyers Bob Clarida and Melissa Brown, to provide guidance on some of the thorniest questions surrounding application of Section 108 to decrepit video formats.
http://policynotes.arl.org/post/40102008798/nyu-video-at-risk-guidelines-for-section-108-c

National Cooperative Drug Discovery/Development Groups (NCDDG) for the Treatment of Mental Disorders, Drug or Alcohol Addiction (U19)

The purpose of the National Cooperative Drug Discovery/Development Group (NCDDG) Program is to create multidisciplinary research groups or partnerships for the discovery of pharmacological agents to treat and to study mental illness or drug or alcohol addiction. The objectives of this program are to: accelerate innovative drug discovery; develop pharmacologic tools for basic and clinical
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-13-086.html

White House – National Strategy for Information Sharing and Safeguarding

“This National Strategy for Information Sharing and Safeguarding (Strategy) aims to strike the proper balance between sharing information with those who need it to keep our country safe and safeguarding it from those who would do us harm.
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/032350.html

Digital Licenses Replace Print Prices as Accurate Reflection of Real Journal Costs

“Instead of purchasing subscriptions to individual journals, librarians are pursuing licensing agreements that provide perpetual digital access to a body of content. For major institutions with research needs across multiple disciplines, this means purchasing journal bundles or packages.
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/032345.html

Privacy Concerns

Privacy on the Go – Recommendations for the Mobile Ecosystem

“Today, 85 percent of American adults own a cell phone and over half of them use their phones to access the Internet. The mobile app marketplace is also booming with more than 1,600 new mobile apps being introduced every day.
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/032350.html

Intellectual Property

International Outlook

EU – Digital Agenda: Turning government data into gold

News release: “The Commission has launched an Open Data Strategy for Europe, which is expected to deliver a €40 billion boost to the EU’s economy each year. Europe’s public administrations are sitting on a goldmine of unrealised economic potential: the large volumes of information collected by numerous public authorities and services.
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/032352.html

U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health

“Although the United States spends more on health care than any other nation, a growing body of research shows that Americans are in poorer health and live shorter lives than people in many other high-income countries. U.S. Health in International Perspective synthesizes available research, taking an in-depth look at this disadvantage in health and lifespan.
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/032347.html

Please feel free to pass along in part or in its entirety.

The Intersect Alert is a newsletter of the Government Relations Committee, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Special Libraries Association.

Public Policy

PACER Federal Court Record Fees Exceed System Costs

The federal government has collected millions from the online Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, or PACER – nearly five times what it cost to run the system. Between fiscal years 2006 and 2010, the government collected an average of $77 million a year from PACER fees, according to the most recent federal figures available.

Critics have derided PACER, saying the government has increased user fees over the years without making the system easier to use. The fees, some say, act as a deterrent to public access. "Given the lack of oversight for what the fees are being used for, the incentive for the courts is to raise fees," said Stephen Schultze, associate director of Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy.

http://californiawatch.org/money-and-politics/pacer-federal-court-record-fees-exceed-system-costs-18685

GAO finds NTIS’ fee-based model no longer viable or appropriate. FGI has suggestions

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has just published a report analyzing the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). This report is an update of a 2001 GAO report on the dissemination of technical reports. It offers quite a bit of information as to the scope of work done by the NTIS and the costs associated with that work.

GAO’s conclusion states:
…Charging for information that is freely available elsewhere is a disservice to the public and may also be wasteful insofar as some of NTIS’s customers are other federal agencies. Taken together, these considerations suggest that the fee-based model under which NTIS currently operates for disseminating technical information may no longer be viable or appropriate.
…In light of the agency’s declining revenue associated with its basic statutory function and the charging for information that is often freely available elsewhere, Congress should consider examining the appropriateness and viability of the fee-based model under which NTIS currently operates for disseminating technical information to determine whether the use of this model should be continued.

http://freegovinfo.info/node/3817

Come to CityCamp Oakland

On December 1, all roads will lead to Oakland, CA for CityCamp Oakland — an unstructured conference where municipal employees, department heads, technology folks, developers, journalists and engaged citizens will talk about technology and local government. Organized by OpenOakland, the City of Oakland and other local organizations, CityCamp Oakland will show how innovative technology and open data can improve civic engagement, increase efficiency and government transparency while connecting residents to the city of Oakland. The Camp will be at the City Hall.

http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2012/11/19/come-to-citycamp-oakland/

Digital History

Giving Digital Preservation a Backbone

Libraries used to be the main stewards of the cultural and scientific record. But in the era of digital storage "cloud computing," the institutions best-positioned to manage vast quantities of data are often companies such as Google and Elsevier. That is a big problem, said James Hilton, the chief information officer at the University of Virginia, in a talk on Thursday here at Educause. For all their current stability and rhetorical commitments to preserving their records, Google and Elsevier cannot be trusted with the task of digital preservation in the long term, said Hilton. Part of Hilton’s agenda here was to draw attention to the Digital Preservation Network, a consortium of universities that is attempting to build a framework for keeping digital artifacts viable as institutions and technologies rise and fall around them.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/11/09/educause-call-digital-preservation-will-outlast-individual-institutions-and

JSTOR provides free access to Wikipedia editors via pilot program

One of the challenges facing the volunteer editors of Wikipedia is finding reliable sources to use as reference material – in our [Wikipedia's] last editor survey, 39 percent named this as one of the largest problems hindering their contributions. To address this issue, the Wikimedia Foundation is collaborating with JSTOR, a service of the not-for-profit organization ITHAKA, to provide 100 of the most active Wikipedia editors with free access to the complete archive collections on JSTOR, including more than 1,600 academic journals, primary source documents and other works.

http://blog.wikimedia.org/2012/11/19/jstor-provides-free-access-to-wikipedia-editors/

Libraries

FBI removes files during raid of Detroit Public Library

FBI agents raided the Detroit Public Library system and the home of its chief administrative officer on Tuesday, removing financial records from the agency that’s been beset by controversy, officials confirmed. Nine agents arrived at the library’s main offices on Woodward at 8 a.m. They left shortly after 11 a.m. carrying three cardboard boxes and what appeared to be computer equipment.

Tuesday’s raid follows money problems that forced the system to close two branches and lay off 80 of 364 staffers – and persistent questions about spending. In a series last year, The Detroit News exposed allegations of misspending, mismanagement and nepotism. Among other purchases that were questioned, the library bought 20 lounge chairs for $1,100 apiece at a time it was cutting staff. Numerous contracts also have been called into question, as well as hiring practices, The News has reported.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121120/METRO/211200394

Charge Amazon, Starbucks and Google unpaid tax to fund libraries, says Winterson

A fiery Jeanette Winterson has called for the hundreds of millions of pounds of profit which Amazon, Starbucks and Google were last week accused of diverting from the UK to be used to save Britain’s beleaguered public libraries. In an impassioned speech at the British Library this evening, the award-winning author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit said: "Libraries cost about a billion a year to run right now. Make it two billion and charge Google, Amazon and Starbucks all that back tax on their profits here. Or if they want to go on paying fancy lawyers to legally avoid their moral duties, then perhaps those companies could do an Andrew Carnegie and build us new kinds of libraries for a new kind of future in a fairer and better world?"

Winterson was referring to the meeting at parliament’s public accounts committee last Monday which saw executives from the three companies vigorously quizzed by MPs over their tax affairs, and accused of diverting UK profits to tax havens.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/nov/19/amazon-starbucks-google-libraries-jeanette-winterson

Intellectual Property

The Copyright Reform Report That Wasn’t

Last Friday, the House Republican Study Committee (RSC) released a policy brief titled "Three Myths About Copyright Law and Where to Start to Fix it," lauded by the tech community and cause for celebration among copyright reform advocates. Less than 24 hours later – and after what we can assume was severe backlash from the content industry – the brief was retracted, with RSC Executive Director Paul Teller issuing a statement that the memo had been "published without adequate review." It’s safe to assume that the RSC was flooded with calls from entertainment and content industry lobbyists.

http://aallwash.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/the-copyright-reform-report-that-wasnt/

Freedom of Information

Some Things Never Change: Governments Still Present Biggest Threat to Open Internet

Some things change, but others stay the same. While the types of threats facing Internet users worldwide have diversified over the past few years, from targeted malware to distributed denial of service attacks, one thing has remained constant: governments seeking to exert control over their populations still remain the biggest threat to the open Internet. Which countries are the worst offenders? Unsurprisingly, the United States once again tops the list (though, followed by Germany and Brazil. The three countries have almost consistently dominated the top since the creation of the Transparency Report in 2010. Other notable offenders for 2012 include Argentina, Turkey, and India. It is noteworthy that all of the countries at the top of the list are democracies.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/11/some-things-never-change-governments-still-present-biggest-threat-open-internet

Open Access

Fastcase Announces Partnership with Hawaii State Bar Association to Provide Free Access to Legal Research Library

Today the Hawaii State Bar Association (HSBA) and legal publisher Fastcase announced a partnership to provide members of the state bar with free access to Fastcase’s nationwide legal research system. This partnership is the latest in a growing number of bar associations that are offering the Fastcase benefit – 23 state bar associations representing more than 500,000 lawyers now subscribe to Fastcase as a free benefit for their members.

The HSBA is the sixth in a growing number of state bar associations upgrading from the Casemaker legal research benefit to Fastcase, and the eighth state overall that has switched to Fastcase, including two states that switched from Versuslaw and LexisNexis. No state bar association has ever switched from a Fastcase benefit to another provider.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/FastcaseHawaii/HSBA/prweb10148440.htm

International Outlook

EU Parliament Endorses Internet Openness, Transparency Ahead of WCIT

The European Parliament today approved a Joint Resolution calling on EU Member States to promote and protect Internet openness at the upcoming World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT). The resolve of the Parliamentarians who drafted the resolution deserves recognition. The result is a strong statement of confidence in the civic and economic value of the open Internet, as well as the virtues of transparent, inclusive models for Internet governance. The public’s ability to submit comments in the drafting process is testimony to the work of Dutch MEP Marietje Schaake, a steadfast advocate for civil liberties in the digital age.

https://www.cdt.org/blogs/ellery-biddle/2211eu-parliament-endorses-internet-openness-transparency-ahead-wcit

Take Action!

Journalism is Not Terrorism: Calling on Ethiopia to #FreeEskinder Nega

Eskinder Nega, an award-winning journalist who has been imprisoned for over a year, appeared briefly in court to appeal the terrorism charges levied against him. Eskinder has unwaveringly denied the charges, maintaining that blogging about human rights abuses and democracy is not a form of terrorism. In July, Eskinder was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his reporting. In court this week, his appeal was cut short: according to one report EFF received from partners working on his case, Eskinder was not allowed to read his defense statement and the appeal was rescheduled to November 22. We are continuing to seek confirmation about the status of the trial. For now, we’re asking concerned individuals to join us in calling on the Ethiopian government to live up to the promises in their own Constitution and free Eskinder Nega.

While many journalists have either fled Ethiopia or been silenced by repressive policies, Eskinder Nega has become a national symbol for press freedom. Here’s how you can get involved:
• Sign PEN American Center’s petition, which automatically an email to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Minister of Justice Berhanu Hailu.
• Send appeals by mail to Ethiopian officials and their local Ethiopian Embassy or Consulate.
• Tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Suggested Tweet:
Journalism is not terrorism. Join @PenAmerican and @EFF in fighting to #FreeEskinder Nega.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/11/journalism-not-terrorism-calling-ethiopia-freeeskinder-nega

Please feel free to pass along in part or in its entirety.
The Intersect Alert is a newsletter of the Government Relations Committee, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Special Libraries Association.

Public Policy

Court: Memphis library cards can be used at the polls

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that photo ID cards issued by the Memphis Public Library qualify as a valid form of identification in Tuesday’s election. In a statement, state election officials said Memphis residents will be allowed to use library-issued IDs in next week’s election. The ruling applies only to voters within Shelby County.

After Tuesday’s presidential election, the high court will take up the question of whether the state’s new voter ID law is constitutional.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012311020065&nclick_check=1

Nonprofits, shell corporations help shield identity of ad backers; Names occasionally slip through

In the 2012 election, nonprofits have been the preferred vehicle for donors who prefer to keep their identities secret. But with the right lawyers, super PACs, which are supposedly transparent about their donors, can accomplish the same feat.

Super PACs do report their donors. In some instances, though, those donors are nonprofits. Or the funds might come from shell corporations, which have passed through millions of dollars to the political organizations from unidentified donors in this election. Last week, the American Energy Opportunity Fund, a 501(c)(4) group led by two executives at an oil and gas company, revealed it had paid for nearly $800,000 in radio ads targeting President Barack Obama on his energy policy and the funds came thanks to a donation from Las Vegas casino titan Sheldon Adelson. Adelson and his family have given more than $53 million to super PACs this election.

http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/10/30/11661/nonprofits-shell-corporations-help-shield-identity-ad-backers

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Privacy Issues

Angry Birds Has A Ravenous Ability to Collect Personal Data

Angry Birds, the top-selling paid mobile app for the iPhone in the United States and Europe, has been downloaded more than a billion times by devoted game players around the world, who often spend hours slinging squawking fowl at groups of egg-stealing pigs.

While regular players are familiar with the particular destructive qualities of certain of these birds, many are unaware of one facet: The game possesses a ravenous ability to collect personal information on its users.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/29/technology/mobile-apps-have-a-ravenous-ability-to-collect-personal-data.html?ref=technology

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Freedom of Information

Judge Orders DOJ to Justify Secrecy of Watergate-era Wiretaps

A federal judge in Washington today ordered the U.S. Justice Department to justify the continued need for secrecy over certain Watergate-era wiretap and grand jury records that remain sealed in a high-profile criminal prosecution.

Government lawyers oppose the public disclosure of any papers about illegally obtained wiretaps tied to the Watergate scandal. The Justice Department this summer, in response to a demand for those records, argued there’s no First Amendment or public right of access to illegally obtained wiretaps. Historical or scholarly interest, the government said, doesn’t justify discretionary disclosure.

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2012/11/judge-orders-doj-to-justify-secrecy-of-watergate-era-wiretaps.html

Latest Dark Money Tallies: $213 million in the general election and counting, 81% on behalf of Republicans; 34 races with $1 million or more

Back in July, Senate Republicans successfully blocked the DISCLOSE Act, which would have required all organizations spending $10,000 or more to reveal their donors. Now we understand why.

Through Nov.1, at least $213.0 million has been spent in the general election by "dark money" groups to influence the 2012 elections. Of that, $172.4 million (81%) has been spent to help Republican candidates, as compared to $35.7 million (19%) to help Democrats. (By "dark money" we mean groups that do not disclose their donors and only are required to disclose their congressional race spending within 60 days of House and Senate elections and their presidential race spending following the national party conventions).

http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2012/11/02/dark-money-tallies/

Redistricting: GOP and Dems alike have cloaked the process in secrecy

When state legislators in Wisconsin began work last year on a plan for redistricting, the once-a-decade process when states draw new district maps for Congress and state legislatures, they found themselves presented with non-disclosure agreements requiring them to keep their deliberations confidential.

In the lead up to the most recent round of redistricting, which began last year with the release of data from the 2010 census, politicians, advocates and "good government" groups nationwide pushed to open the process to citizens and allow for broader debate than in the past. The idea was that a transparent process would lead to maps that made more sense geographically and better reflected voters’ interests.

But with few exceptions, the political parties in control of statehouses rammed their own partisan proposals through the legislatures as quickly as possible, leaving little more than nominal opportunities for the public to influence the process. In several states, legislatures outsourced the actual work to lawyers and used claims of attorney-client privilege to further exclude the public.

http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/11/01/11670/redistricting-gop-and-dems-alike-have-cloaked-process-secrecy

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Intellectual Property Issues

Good News for Libraries in Latest Round of DMCA Exceptions

Last Friday the Librarian of Congress officially issued the latest iteration of rules describing exceptions to the general rule in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that it is unlawful to break digital locks (also known as technical protection measures (TPMs) or digital rights management (DRM)).

The law requires that every three years the Copyright Office seek information about noninfringing uses that are frustrated by digital locks, and based on submissions from the public, recommend exceptions to the Librarian, who issues a final order with classes of works that can be unlocked. This time around, two rule changes should be of particular interest to research libraries.

First, there is a significantly expanded exception to allow breaking digital locks on ebooks in order to facilitate access for the print disabled. ….

Second, the exception for using video materials is significantly expanded. ….

http://policynotes.arl.org/post/34574967404/good-news-for-libraries-in-latest-round-of-dmca

Supreme Court seeks a way around "perpetual copyright" on foreign goods

If the Supreme Court is looking for a middle ground in Wiley v. Kirtsaeng, it’s going to be hard to find. That copyright case, argued this morning, could have a big impact on resale markets around the country.

It’s impossible to know from reading into oral arguments which way the court will go. Questions from the bench today show the justices are seriously concerned about the possible effects on resellers of common goods, as well as legal obstacles that could be created for museums and libraries. At one point, Justice Stephen Breyer grilled Wiley’s lawyer about how a victory for his side would avoid interfering with the sale of millions of used Toyotas.

The case started in 2008, when textbook manufacturer John Wiley & Sons sued Supap Kirtsaeng for re-selling textbooks he bought in Thailand on the cheap. Wiley argues that by importing and selling the books without permission, Kirtsaeng violated copyright law – even though the books aren’t pirated, they’re simply cheap foreign editions.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/10/supreme-court-seeks-a-way-around-perpetual-copyright-on-foreign-goods/

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International Outlook

Torture Fears for Open Source Software Activist Detained in Syria

In July, the Electronic Frontier Foundation called for the immediate release of open source developer and Creative Commons volunteer Bassel Khartabil, who had been detained in Syria since March 12, 2012 as part of a wave of arrests made in the Mazzeh district of Damascus. We felt that the situation was especially urgent in light of a recent Human Rights Watch report documenting the use of torture in 27 detention facilities run by Syrian intelligence agencies. Now it appears that our concerns were well-founded. According to a new Amnesty International report, a released detainee has informed Bassel Khartabil’s family that he is being held at the Military Intelligence Branch in Kafr Sousseh and had been tortured and otherwise ill-treated.

In response to this alarming news, Bassel’s friends and supporters around the world have launched a letter-writing campaign, hoping to flood Syrian officials and diplomats with physical mail demanding that Khartabil be formally charged and given access to a lawyer or released immediately. Participants are encouraged to send photographs of their letters to info@freebassel.org.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/torture-fears-open-source-software-activist-detained-syria

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Libraries

New York City Libraries Relatively Unscathed; New Jersey Still Taking Stock

As New York City public transportation crawls back to life and New Yorkers struggle to resume their lives after Sandy, those seeking refuge–or simply reading materials–will be able to plug in and warm up at 55 of the New York Public Library’s 90 branches this morning. The rest, including the main 42nd Street branch, remained closed on Thursday–mostly due to power problems rather than flooding, says Angela Montefinise, NYPL’s Public Relations Director.

Remarkably, NYPL’s system, incorporating libraries in Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx, suffered virtually no structural damage, says Montefinise.

Elsewhere, in New York and New Jersey, assessments are still being made.

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/11/industry-news/new-york-city-libraries-relatively-unscathed-new-jersey-still-taking-stock/

Privacy Issues

The New York Times Reminds Us the NSA Still Warrantlessly Wiretaps Americans, and Congress Has the Power to Stop It

Last week, the New York Times published two important op-eds highlighting how the National Security Agency (NSA) has retained expansive powers to warrantlessly wiretap Americans after Congress passed the FISA Amendments Act in 2008. And unlike in 2005—when the exposure of the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping program provoked widespread outrage—Congress is now all but ignoring ample evidence of wrongdoing, as it debates renewing the FISA Amendments Act before it expires at the end of this year.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/08/ny-times-reminds-us-nsa-still-warrantlessly-wiretapping-americans-and-congress-has

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Intellectual Property Issues

Impatience over lack of action on intellectual property theft

The European Union’s Observatory on Counterfeiting and Piracy is set to be given enhanced enforcement capabilities in order to fight IP infringements. According to The Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) the new powers could start to come into effect in March 2013.
However FAST points out that a stronger fight against IP breaches is long overdue.

http://www.iwr.co.uk/business/3011367/Impatience-over-lack-of-action-on-intellectual-property-theft

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Public Policy

Overhaul of Federal Record-Keeping Ordered By NARA, Office of Management and Budget

A major overhaul in the way federal departments and agencies manage and preserve their records was ordered today by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
In a directive that carries out a presidential memorandum to reform records management for the 21st century, NARA and OMB said that all agencies must begin to manage their records, including emails, in electronic format by the end of the decade.
The directive also requires each agency to designate a high-ranking agency official to oversee its records management programs and to ensure that all appropriate staff receive records management training.

http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2012/nr12-145.html

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Open Access

Wiley joins open access group

John Wiley & Sons has joined the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association. OASPA represents the interests of open access journal publishers globally in all scientific, technical and scholarly disciplines and enables exchange of information, setting standards, advancing models, advocacy, education, and the promotion of innovation.
In early 2011 Wiley launched Wiley Open Access, an open access journal program, which contains eleven journals. Wiley Open Access provides open access publication in peer-reviewed journals where all published articles are immediately freely available to read, download and share.

http://www.iwr.co.uk/academic-and-humanites/3011369/Wiley-joins-open-access-group

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Digital History

The Born Digital in the Archives: One Curator’s Experience

The late Jonathan Larson went through many drafts when composing what became the hit-musical RENT. The tragic end to his life is well known – he died suddenly at age 35 in 1996 shortly before the off-Broadway opening of the musical. What may not be well known is that these early drafts of RENT and other artifacts from Larson’s life and career were hidden for years, existing only on floppy disks and now-obsolete software programs.
Working to solve this digital preservation dilemma became the focus for Doug Reside, Digital Curator of the New York Public Library, along with Mark Horowitz, Senior Music Specialist in the Library of Congress Music Division and curator of the Jonathan Larson collection.

http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2012/08/the-born-digital-in-the-archives-one-curators-experience/

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Freedom of Information

Presidential Claims of Executive Privilege: History, Law, Practice, and Recent Developments

Presidential claims of a right to preserve the confidentiality of information and documents in the
face of legislative demands have figured prominently, though intermittently, in executive congressional relations since at least 1792. Few such interbranch disputes over access to information have reached the courts for substantive resolution. The vast majority of these disputes are resolved through political negotiation and accommodation. In fact, it was not until the Watergate-related lawsuits in the 1970′s seeking access to President Nixon’s tapes that the existence of a presidential confidentiality privilege was judicially established as a necessary derivative of the President’s status in our constitutional scheme of separated powers.
There have been only four cases involving information access disputes between Congress and the executive, and two of these resulted in decisions on the merits.
President Obama formally invoked executive privilege for the first time on June 20, 2012, over documents sought by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in its ongoing investigation into Operation Fast and Furious.

www.fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/R42670.pdf (Note: PDF file)

GOP Platform Moves from Light to Dark

As the Republican nominating convention gets into full swing, there has been much discussion about the rightward shift by the party and its platform. But the GOP’s newfound hostility toward disclosure of money in politics does not reflect a move from center to right. It’s a move from light to dark.
The GOP platform adopted yesterday left no question that the party fully embraces unlimited, unregulated, undisclosed money in our elections. "We support repeal of the remaining sections of McCain-Feingold, support either raising or repealing contribution limits, and oppose passage of the DISCLOSE Act or any similar legislation designed to vitiate the Supreme Court’s recent decisions protecting political speech in Wisconsin Right to Life v. Federal Election Commission and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission."

http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2012/08/29/gop-platform-moves-from-light-to-dark/

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International Outlook

(Court-Ordered) Notice-and-Takedown: the Chilean Approach

In 2010, Chile updated its copyright law with a novel approach for protecting Internet intermediaries from liability for their users’ copyright infringement. Though modeled on the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the law differs in one crucial respect: While a cornerstone of the US law is its private notice-and-takedown system, the Chilean law requires that rightsholders secure a court order before content must be taken down.
Today, CDT released a short report on the Chilean law, examining the balance the law strikes among the rights of copyright-holders, intermediaries, and Internet users. As we explain in the paper, the law offers greater certainty to intermediaries as to when content should be removed, and court oversight may well prevent some of the mistakes we have seen under the US system.
On the other hand, some rightsholders have expressed dissatisfaction with the law, since having to go to court significantly raises the burden on them when requesting takedowns.

https://www.cdt.org/blogs/andrew-mcdiarmid/2808court-ordered-notice-and-takedown-chilean-approach

Jordanians Protest Internet Censorship Law With SOPA-Style Blackout

The United States, Russia, and Malaysia have all recently protested proposed Internet censorship laws by having websites "go dark," to demonstrate what the web would look like without them. Today Jordanian netizens have launched their own Internet blackout.
More than a hundred and fifty websites have gone dark to protest a draft bill to amend the Press and Publications Law, framed by the government as anti-pornography legislation, but which activists say will restrict Internet freedom and negatively affect the rights of Jordanian citizens.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/08/jordanians-protest-internet-censorship-law-sopa-style-blackout

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Libraries

Librarians are Completely Awesome

Here’s the thing about librarians: they are the only people I know who are incredibly excited TO DO YOUR WORK FOR YOU. As online resources become more complex, we need wise humans to help act as guides. Librarians know how to do that better than you do. Ask them for help. They also, typically, are warm, curious, helpful people.
For any doctoral students out there thinking of starting a new research project, I strongly encourage you to make your university reference librarian your first stop. I’ve had great luck with municipal librarians and with government archivists as well.
It takes a village to raise a research project.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2012/08/librarians_are_completely_awesome.html

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Please feel free to pass along in part or in its entirety.

The Intersect Alert is a newsletter of the Government Relations Committee, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Special Libraries Association.

Digital History

Alexandria 2.0: One Millionaire’s Quest to Build the Biggest Library on Earth

Here’s the problem with libraries. They catch on fire really easily. As such, they were the prized targets of the invading hordes of antiquity. They were one-man, one-torch jobs. But the hordes didn’t prize the library only for how powerfully it burned. Back in those days, if you wanted to kill a culture, you killed its library. All it took was one chucklehead with a flaming stick to annihilate thousands of years of accumulated knowledge. And it happened often.

"If this is what happens to libraries, make copies," says Brewster Kahle. Kahle took the library of libraries – the internet – and made a couple of copies of it, and keeps making copies.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/08/brewster-kahle/

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Freedom of Information

British charity calls for ’50 Shades of Grey’ book burning

A British charity has called for a burning of the book "50 Shades of Grey" by E.L. James. Wearside Women in Need, which focuses on domestic violence, has asked readers to drop off books for a planned bonfire on Nov. 5.
A mega-bestseller, "50 Shades of Grey" features Anastasia, a naive college student who has an affair with a handsome billionaire who introduces her to sado-masochistic sex. Random House, which published the book in Britain, insists the sex in the book is not abusive but "entirely consensual."

http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-jc-british-charity-calls-for-50-shades-of-grey-book-burning-20120823,0,5503067.story

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Publishing

The Best Book Reviews Money Can Buy

TODD RUTHERFORD was 7 years old when he first understood the nature of supply and demand. He was with a bunch of other boys, one of whom showed off a copy of Playboy to giggles and intense interest. Todd bought the magazine for $5, tore out the racy pictures and resold them to his chums for a buck apiece. He made $20 before his father shut him down a few hours later.
A few years ago, Mr. Rutherford, then in his mid-30s, had another flash of illumination about how scarcity opens the door to opportunity.
In the fall of 2010, Mr. Rutherford started a Web site, GettingBookReviews.com. At first, he advertised that he would review a book for $99. But some clients wanted a chorus proclaiming their excellence. So, for $499, Mr. Rutherford would do 20 online reviews. A few people needed a whole orchestra. For $999, he would do 50.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/business/book-reviewers-for-hire-meet-a-demand-for-online-raves.html?_r=2&hp&pagewanted=all

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Public Policy

FEC Approves Wireless Companies to Cut Campaign Text Donations

Today [Aug. 22, 2012], the Obama Campaign announced it was launching a text-to-donate fundraising campaign. Last week, the Federal Election Commission approved this type of fundraising for federal campaigns. During the review of the rules, wireless carriers asked for permission to block any campaigns that "espouse views that may harm the wireless service providers’ brands." While the FEC did not include this language in its advisory opinion, it did grant carriers wide latitude to refuse service by measuring a campaign against the carriers’ own "established business requirements."
The Federal Election Commission has granted wireless carriers the ability to cut off text message fundraising to candidates that take positions counter to the carriers’ business interest.

http://www.publicknowledge.org/fcc-approves-wireless-companies-cut-campaign-text-

EFF Tells Obama’s IP Czar To Stand Up For Internet Users

Recently, EFF sent comments to Victoria Espinel, the Obama Administration’s "IP Czar," to help shape how U.S. tax dollars are spent on enforcing copyright, trademark, and patent laws for the next two years.
EFF said that when the government encourages (or goads) private companies into making private "voluntary" agreements to cut down on online infringement, the government should insist on the same protections for free speech, privacy, transparency, and due process.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/08/eff-tells-obamas-ip-czar-stand-internet-users

FCC Broadband Report Shows That Broadband Deployment, Adoption, and Competition are Still Inadequate

Today [Aug. 21, 2012], the FCC issued its Eighth Broadband Report. 19 million Americans still do not have access to wired broadband. The Internet is the primary way that many Americans communicate, stay informed, and manage their lives. Yet many others have access to wired broadband, but don’t subscribe to it. The broadband that is available to them may be too slow, and not much of an improvement over their wireless or dial-up connections. Or it may be too expensive. Or they just might not see its value. Whatever the causes, more needs to be done to close the broadband gap.

http://www.publicknowledge.org/fcc-broadband-report-shows-broadband-deployment-ad

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Open Access

How to #FreeTHOMAS: A report on implementing bulk access

Today we are pleased to release a report on improving public access to legislative information. The report is the result of a collaborative effort that was prompted by the House Leadership’s recent statement endorsing bulk access and the questions raised in a committee report accompanying the House Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill. The report is the latest in the ongoing, multi-year effort to improve how Congress releases legislative information to the public. It provides a roadmap to implementing bulk access to legislative information.

http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2012/08/24/how-to-freethomas-a-report-on-implementing-bulk-access/

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International Outlook

Syrian Activists Launch Petition to Reform Export Controls on Technology

EFF has long contended that existing export controls – maintained by the Departments of Treasury and Commerce – hinder the ability of activists in countries like Syria to communicate. Restrictions on the use of hosting services, antivirus tools, and even circumvention technology make the already-unsafe Syrian Internet even less safe for users. Meanwhile, the Syrian government has repeatedly circumvented sanctions for the purpose of surveilling citizens. These controls are not only ineffective, they’re counterproductive.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/08/syrian-activists-launch-petition-reform-export-controls-technology

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Privacy Issues

Better Policies for De-Identified Health Data

The staggering amount of personal health data now being collected for treatment or billing purposes has a life beyond the doctor’s clipboard. That data is collected, stripped of personally identifying information ("de-identified") and re-used in ways that are vital for medical breakthroughs, improving patient care, or predicting public health trends. And it’s just as valuable when used for targeted marketing campaigns or eliminating inefficiencies in the healthcare industry.
HIPAA restricts uses of identifiable health information for secondary purposes; but information that is de-identified per HIPAA standards is largely not subject to federal regulation. As a result, de-identified health data is in high demand.

https://www.cdt.org/blogs/deven-mcgraw/2108better-policies-de-identified-health-data

CA Location Privacy Bill Passes Assembly

Location privacy scored a victory today when the California Assembly overwhelmingly passed an EFF-sponsored location privacy bill, SB 1434, on a bipartisan vote of 63-11.
The bill would require law enforcement to obtain a search warrant anytime it requests location information from an electronic device. It codifies the Supreme Court’s decision from earlier this year in United States v. Jones, which ruled that the installation of a GPS device for purposes of law enforcement investigation requires a search warrant. Having passed both chambers of the California legislature by a combined vote of 93-17, and assuming the Senate concurs with the version of the bill passed by the Assembly, the bill will soon land on the desk of Governor Jerry Brown.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/08/ca-location-privacy-bill-passes-assembly-next-stop-governor-brown

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Intellectual Property Issues

Who inherits your iTunes library?

Many of us will accumulate vast libraries of digital books and music over the course of our lifetimes. But when we die, our collections of words and music may expire with us.
Someone who owned 10,000 hardcover books and the same number of vinyl records could bequeath them to descendants, but legal experts say passing on iTunes and Kindle libraries would be much more complicated.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/who-inherits-your-itunes-library-2012-08-23

UNESCO Says Monopolization of Information Puts Barriers to a Better Life

Governments are pushing for stronger intellectual property measures that excessively favor entertainment and pharmaceutical industries through international fora such as World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) – by trying to create new rights for Broadcasters, and more pressingly, through international agreements such as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). Many in civil society are fighting back and are calling attention to the crucial need to enable and facilitate content to enter the public domain. UNESCO has been a big supporter of this initiative, standing up against the privatization of knowledge and the great risk it poses to improving quality of life around the world.
Information, media, and educational professionals, as well as government executives and members of the public met at the International Conference Media and Information Literacy for Knowledge Societies in Moscow, Russia last June. UNESCO, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and other state and non-state agencies held this conference in order to raise awareness of the significance, scale, and topicality of media and information literacy advocacy.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/08/unesco-says-information-monopoly-puts-barriers-to-better-life

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Libraries

Former Library of Congress auditor says he was harassed, then fired for being gay

Peter TerVeer was an up-and-coming auditor for the Library of Congress’s inspector general’s office. His boss liked him so much he tried to set him up with his single daughter, TerVeer says.
But when the boss discovered TerVeer was gay after learning from his daughter TerVeer "Liked" a Facebook page for same-sex parents, the supervisor harassed him with religious-based homophobia – and eventually got him fired, TerVeer alleges in a federal lawsuit.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/former-library-of-congress-auditor-says-he-was-harassed-then-fired-for-being-gay/2012/08/22/8ef9b088-ec82-11e1-9ddc-340d5efb1e9c_blog.html

NY Library To Adopt Ad-Supported Toilet Paper

Toilet paper printed with advertisements will appear in the bathrooms of the Port Chester-Rye Brook, NY, Public Library in October. The paper is 100 percent recycled, two-ply, and printed with soy-based ink. Venues that use the paper receive it for free, making it a potentially attractive way for cash-strapped libraries to reduce spending. (Advertisers pay $99 for 20,000 advertisements that appear on approximately 160 rolls.)

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/08/managing-libraries/ny-library-to-adopt-ad-supported-toilet-paper/

Please feel free to pass along in part or in its entirety.

The Intersect Alert is a newsletter of the Government Relations Committee, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Special Libraries Association.

Intellectual Property Issues

Oracle v. Google and the Dangerous Implications of Treating APIs as Copyrightable

There has been no lack of ink spilled on the legal battle between Oracle and Google surrounding Google’s use of Java APIs in its Android OS. And no wonder, what with testimony by both Larrys (Page and Ellison), claims of damages up to $1 billion, and rampant speculation that a ruling in Oracle’s favor could change the way we all use the Internet. Today, we got our first taste of where this all might be heading: the jury came back with a finding that, assuming APIs are subject to copyright, Google has infringed at least some of Oracle’s.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/05/oracle-v-google-and-dangerous-implications-treating-apis-copyrightable

Exercises in democracy: building a digital public library

Most neighborhoods in America have a public library. Now the biggest neighborhood in America, the Internet, wants a library of its own. Last week, Ars attended a conference held by the Digital Public Library of America, a nascent group of intellectuals hoping to put all of America’s library holdings online.

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/05/exercises-in-democracy-building-a-digital-public-library/

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Internet Access

Harvesting and Preserving the Future Web

Kris Carpenter Negulescu of the Internet Archive and David Rosenthal organized a half-day workshop on the problems of harvesting and preserving the future Web during the International Internet Preservation Coalition General Assembly 2012 at the Library of Congress.
In preparation for the workshop, a list was put together of 13 problem areas already causing problems for Web preservation.

http://blog.dshr.org/2012/05/harvesting-and-preserving-future-web.html

Should Ambassadors Tweet? U.S. Embassies and Social Media

Twitter has become an important tool for social revolutions and civilian mobilization across the world, from Egypt to London to Iran, and has been increasingly embraced by the U.S. government. A Sunlight Foundation investigation looked at Twitter use by U.S. embassies and found that approximately 69 percent of embassies have official or semi-official Twitter accounts as of March 2012.

http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2012/05/08/should-ambassadors-tweet-u-s-embassies-and-social-media/

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Privacy Issues

And the privacy invasion award goes to …

Who’s playing fast and loose with your data? The Big Brother Awards, billed as the "Oscars for data leeches" by the hackers and privacy advocates who hand out the prizes, shine a high-intensity spotlight on companies and individuals with poor privacy track records.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/05/and-privacy-invasion-award-goes-to

Myspace Settles FTC Charges That It Misled Millions of Users About Sharing Personal Information with Advertisers

Social networking service Myspace has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it misrepresented its protection of users’ personal information. The settlement, part of the FTC’s ongoing efforts make sure companies live up to the privacy promises they make to consumers, bars Myspace from future privacy misrepresentations, requires it to implement a comprehensive privacy program, and calls for regular, independent privacy assessments for the next 20 years.

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/030240.html

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Libraries

The "Pop-Up" Library: A Mini-Movement of Knowledge

This rainy Tuesday in Brooklyn seemed to be starting off in the same fashion. I left home walking to the subway to head into Manhattan when I passed two people under a bus stop giving away free books and coffee. As a resident of New York City I have grown accustomed to keeping my head down, walking at a fast pace with the unmitigated intent of getting to my destination. However, the bright colors of the furniture filled with books along with the friendliness of these two individuals made me stop and do a double-take. I was glad I did.
Margaret, an unemployed librarian, and Adam, an architect looking for work, decided to create the "pop-up" library.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-mack/the-pop-up-librarya-mini-_b_1470544.html

Are Public Libraries "Permanently F***ed?" Maybe Not

Jessa Crispin arrived at the 2012 Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia in March with high expectations. And by high, we mean abysmal.
"Secure in the knowledge that libraries are now permanently fucked," wrote the editor-in-Chief of the popular "litblog" Bookslut. Surely librarians would crumble before her, the harsh fiscal realities having reduced the bibliognosts into heaps of despair, wailing about furloughs and nonexistent arts grants.
But the whole affair seemed rather … hopeful.
"I was not sensing any anxiety that day, and it was pissing me off," Crispin says.

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/05/public_libraries_future.php

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Freedom of Information

Frank Zappa on CNN’s Crossfire (1986)

In 1986, Frank Zappa appeared on CNN’s Crossfire to discuss rock lyrics and censorship. Let’s just say the exchange got a little heated.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6526525473785351949

NSA Declassifies Secret Document After Publishing It

The National Security Agency last week invoked a rarely-used authority in order to declassify a classified document that was mistakenly posted on the NSA website with all of its classified passages intact. Among other things, the NSA’s abrupt declassification of the the document shows that the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel needs to recalibrate its document review procedures.

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2012/05/nsa_secret.html

Shareholders: The Next Transparency Advocates

A new breed of transparency advocate is making itself heard this week, taking to the streets and to corporate boardrooms to demand transparency from corporations that use shareholder money to engage in political activities. These corporate transparency advocates also inundated the Securities and Exchange Commission with more than 178,000 letters in support of a rule mandating disclosure. The growing discontent among shareholders may be a result of learning that corporations are spending their money on positions the shareholders disagree with.

http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2012/05/09/shareholders-the-next-transparency-advocates/

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International Outlook

Database on transnational company agreements

The database contains all transnational company agreements and texts identified and catalogued by the European Commission. It also contains sheets with details on every company and agreement.

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=978&langId=en