The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved legislation to establish a qualified privilege for journalists to protect their confidential sources and the public’s right to know. The bipartisan Free Flow of Information Act was first listed for Committee consideration in April, and Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has worked with the bill’s chief sponsors to move the…
Category: Laws
Leahy Urges Congress To Pass REAL ID Fix
At a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) urged the Senate to quickly approve legislation designed to fix problems in the national driver’s license program commonly referred to as REAL ID. Leahy is a leading sponsor of the bipartisan PASS ID Act, legislation that would implement the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to enhance…
Kazakh President Signs ‘Privacy’ Law
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has signed a controversial law on privacy protection, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reports. The law, which Nazarbaev signed on December 8, prohibits any “unsanctioned interference into an individual’s private life,” including the use or acquisition of any written, audio, or video material related to a person’s private life. The legislation has led…
Israel tests biometric database
John Oates had this news report in the The Register earlier this week: The Israeli Knesset has voted in favour of a bill for a compulsory biometric database of all citizens. The Biometrics Database Law passed the Knesset 40 votes in favour to 11 against. A big row over privacy forced the bill back to…