Defending The Constitutional Liberties Our Forefathers Fought To Guarantee

Kim Hedden, Policy Analyst
Bimonthly Update for January 26, 2007

Government and Privacy: News from Capitol Hill

HR 1, introduced by the new Democratic Chair of the Homeland Security Committee, 01.05.07

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901064.html

McCullough at Politechbot.com writes about the incoming Democratic Majority; 010707

http://www.politechbot.com/2007/01/07/will-democrats-be/

Net Neutrality Revived in the Senate, CNET, 01.07.07

(The principle of Net Neutrality is that no Internet service providers can charge more to one customer than another.)

http://news.com.com/Net+neutrality+proposal+revived+in+Senate/2100-1028_3-6148751.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-in/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c1108BSM1Zhtml

Senators Want Federal Use of Data Mining Programs Disclosed, Washington Post, 01.11.07

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002396.html

Lesley Harris of the Center for Democracy and Technology testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Privacy Implications of Government Data Mining Programs, 0110.07

http://www.cdt.org/testimony/20070109harris.pdf

Activist’s Corner and First Amendment Issues

While an unusual alliance of interest groups (including the ACLU and the Family Research Council) succeeded in eliminating an unconstitutional portion of the Lobbying and Ethics Reform Act (Section 220 of SB1), the newly constituted Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress plan to revive the obsolete Fairness in Broadcasting Doctrine. Passage of the Media Ownership Reform Act would have a chilling effect on free speech and could silence talk radio for good CNSNEWS.COM, 01.17.07

http://www.cnsnews.com/Nation/Archive/200701/NAT20070117a.html

And: Accuracy in Media (AIM), Special Report, 01.19.07

http://www.aim.org/guest_column/5167_0_6_0_C/

Cross Removed from Inside Chapel at College of William and Mary as part of Diversity Plan; 7,000 people sign petition to reinstate it. Washington Times, 01.08.07

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070108-122515-8141r.htm

Internet Security and Vulnerability

UCLA Database Breached for More than a Year; 800,000 Records at Risk, CNET, 12.12.06

http://news.com.com/UCLA+break-in+puts+data+on+800%2C000+at+risk/2100-1029_3-6143003.html

Attack of the Zombie Computers, How Botnets are Making Internet Crimes Easier to Commit, New York Times, 01.08.07

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/technology/07net.html?ex=1169355600&en=dc9a72017f4408ec&ei=5070

Foreign Spies Breach Defense Industry Security and Access US Technology, Reuters via CNET, 0104.07

http://news.com.com/Report+Foreign+spying+on+U.S.+defense+tech+rises/2100-7348_3-6147097.html?tag=cd.top

Passenger Screening In US Concerns European Union, Washington Post, 011107

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101662.html

Various Surveillance Devices

The Washington Post follows a middle aged real estate broker on an average working day as various security devices, red light cameras, EZ Pass, Internet shopping, and E-mail record her every movement 01.16.07

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/15/AR2007011501304.html

The same day: A live discussion of the article featuring reporter Ellen Nakashima, and Jim Dempsey of the Center for Democracy and Technology,01.16.07, TRANSCRIPT OF LIVE DISCUSSION LINK:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-yn/content/discussion/2007/01/15/DI2007011500963.html

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=security&articleId=9007746&taxonomyId=17&intsrc=kc

International News

Chinese Government Devotes Entire Bureau to Spying on its Citizens While Continuing to Deny it. Washington Post, 01.08.07

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010701120.html?sub=new

Britain’s MI5 to Send Terror Alerts In E-mail (Reuters, via CNET) 01.09.2007.

http://news.com.com/U.K.+spy+agency+to+send+terror+alert+e-mails/2100-7348_3-6148474.html?tag=cd.top

Australia to Use Microchip Access Cards for National Health and Welfare Services. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, (ABC.AU) 01.23.2007

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200701/s1831688.htm