FCC Releases Broadband Plan

The Federal Communications Commission released its plan for broadband deployment within the United States. Broadband is all about high-speed two-way Internet connectivity.The US lags behind many European nations, Japan, and South Korea in national broadband deployment. The FCC document advocates increased competition, support universal availability, and an update in government laws/regulations to support expansion of broadband use. The report cites everything from e-health records, to the development of the Smart Grid as being relevant to the topic of national broadband deployment. Faster broadband transmission rates are correlated to time spent online for work and leisure. There are stubborn gaps in broadband deployment to rural and inner city areas that may respond to an organized national effort. The US solved problems with access to basic services such as railroads, highways, electricity, and telephones through federal programs like the transcontinental railroad, rural electrification program, national highway system, and national telephone service efforts.

FCC National Broadband Plan, Federal Communications Commission, March 16, 2010

Fusion Centers Looking for Applications for Data Mining Capacity

The Department of Homeland Security Department has funded 72 state and local Fusion Centers, which establish data mining relationships with public and private data warehouses. Local and state law-enforcement agencies that operate Fusion Centers depend on funding from Federal government agencies to open centers, train staff, and develop intelligence expertise. It has long been understood that local and state law-enforcement did not want to limit the work of Fusion Centers solely to terrorism related investigations. The relationships between state/local Fusion Centers and Federal government agencies is not transparent.

, State fusion centers look to expand beyond counterterrorism efforts, Patrick Marshall, Government Computer News, March 12, 2010

MA Supreme Court Rules that a Shelter is a Home

A room in a shelter where a juvenile and his mother lived was unlawfully searched by police after the door was unlocked by the Shelter Director. The High Court ruled that the room's occupants had a reasonable expectation of privacy and that police needed the okay of one of the room's occupants before entering. Persons seeking shelter need not have diminished rights, which could have consequences in the event of emergency shelter situations such as those provided by domestic violence or disaster assistance programs.

SJC says that shelter dwellers have right to privacy Police search is ruled illegal, By Martin Finucane, Boston Globe Staff, March 12, 2010

UN Expert: Body Scanners Breach of Individual Rights

Martin Scheinin, a UN expert on human rights said that body scanners' use in the war on terror were both ineffective and an intrusion on individual privacy. He went on to say that it would be a violation to everyone, but more so to women, certain religions, and certain cultural backgrounds. He has previously reported on different types of detection technologies could better for human rights.

Airport body scans breach rights: UN expert, Agence France-Presse, March 10, 2010

Facebook Looking to Share Location Data

Facebook is reported to be ready to release a new application that would share location information on its 400 million users. The application will premier in late April 2010 and is called f8. Facebook updated its privacy policy to reflect the location sharing feature. Initial reports are that the location information sharing feature will follow the privacy settings of users.

Facebook Will Allow Users to Share Location, By NICK BILTON, New York Times Blog, March 9, 2010

Privacy Group Advise California PUC on Smart Grid Privacy

In formal comments, EPIC urged the California Public Utility Commission to adopt privacy safeguards for Smart Grid systems to protect consumer electricity usage information from unauthorized collection, use, and disclosure. Smart Grid networks uniquely identify individual electrical appliances, and create new privacy risks. EPIC recommended that policies be established to protect consumer data, including limitations on data collection, new security standards, and independent oversight.

Spouse has Privacy Rights in Home Bathroom

A Mille Lacs County Minnesota District Court sustained the conviction of Richard Allen Perez who admitted secretly videotaping his wife at their home. The couple were in the process of getting a divorce when Perez installed a video camera in the bathroom of their home. Perez was convicted in 2008 and sentenced to jail. The case is expected to be appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Court: Spouse Should Expect Bathroom Privacy, St. Paul (AP), March 10, 2010