Kevin Bankston of EFF reports some good news in the House of Representatives: After a long two days of legislative battle, the House Judiciary Committee just finished its second day of debate on Chairman Conyers’ PATRIOT reform bill, HR 3845 (see our wrap-up of the first day). Thanks in no small part to those of…
Category: Surveillance
Weld County and ACLU back in court
In a case that has been going on since last year, the Associated Press reports that The Colorado Supreme Court is hearing arguments about the legality of an identity theft investigation against hundreds of suspected illegal immigrants who were filing taxes, without having valid Social Security numbers. AP’s summary of the issue, however, is not…
House Committee Considers PATRIOT Reform (UPDATED)
Kevin Bankston of EFF updates us on the progress of Conyers’ PATRIOT renewal and reform bill, the USA Patriot Amendments Act of 2009 (HR 3845): The mark-up got off to a somewhat worrisome start when Chairman Conyers introduced a “manager’s amendment” making numerous changes to the bill to address concerns raised by the Obama Administration…
Tight controls urged in use of personal data
Dick Ahlstrom reports: People are in effect giving up a piece of their bodies when they provide personal biometric data, meaning tight controls are needed to ensure the data is properly used, according to the Irish Council of Bioethics. The council this morning publishes a considered opinion, “Biometrics: Enhancing Security or Invading Privacy?” The substantial…