Pentagon officials released a list of ideas for new technologies of surveillance. The list is intended to spark innovation and bids from private-sector developers of technology systems. The list includes systems that would track persons who purchase bomb-making material, polygraph machines for airline passengers, tracking devices for monitoring civilian and military targets, and software that can recognize persons who are speaking in Middle Eastern languages.
The advent of devices that report user location, such as cell phones that track user location via GPS, affords commercial profilers and the government more opportunities to monitor behavior. In addition to cell phones, other devices, such as the automatic toll-paying system �EZPass,� can track drivers� location.
EPIC and a coalition of consumer and privacy groups have urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take action to protect consumers from Microsoft Windows XP and Passport. The groups sent a letter to the FTC requesting immediate agency action and recommended to consumers that they should not sign up for Passport.
The U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) reports that from January to April of 2001, 332 reports of identity theft were reported. There were 637 cases for the entire year of 2000 and 267 in 1999.
According to Stewart Baker, the former general counsel to the National Security Agency, the FBI has developed a new surveillance architecture that can capture all Internet traffic.
Attorney General John Ashcroft has directed agencies to evaluate Freedom of Information requests with heightened sensitivity to national security and law enforcement concerns. Ashcroft also pledged support to agencies that withhold information in order to protect institutional, commercial, and personal privacy interests. Since the September terrorist attacks, a number of agencies have been restricting access to government records. Most notably, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has removed all content from its web site.
Forrester Research argues in a new report that Federal Trade Commission Chair Timothy Muris� approach to privacy will exacerbate privacy problems. Muris recently changed the agency�s approach to privacy, advocating that Congress should not pass new laws to address consumer privacy protection. Forrester argues that Muris� approach lacks an overarching framework for enforcement that will result in ill-defined standards for appropriate business behavior.
Direct marketers, in light of recent anthrax envelope attacks, are changing policies in sending solicitations through the mail. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has recommended that marketers include return addresses on mail solicitations. The DMA has also recommended that marketers first send e-mail or make a phone call to recipients of mail solicitations.
Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems; Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle; and Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law Professor; have advocated the adoption of mandatory national ID for all Americans. McNealy and Ellison have economic interests in such systems. Dershowitz argues that the loss of anonymity caused by national ID systems could be balanced by corresponding gains in security.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) attempted but failed to insert anti-piracy language into the terrorism bills. The proposed language would have allowed copyright owners to mount counterattacks against piracy. Specifically, the language would have allowed content owners to engage in malicious hacking in order to prevent violations of copyright law.
A bipartisan group of Representatives have formulated an outline for consumer privacy legislation. The outline includes provisions for notice, opt-out choice, and enforcement powers with the FTC. The Representatives plan to introduce a bill in 2002.
Early Friday morning, the Senate passed the Uniting and Strengthening America (USA ) Act. On Friday, the House passed the Provide Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (PATRIOT) Act. Both bills contain provisions that will implicate privacy and other civil liberties. Both bills will allow law enforcement to intercept the headers of e-mail messages without a warrant.
Governor Gray Davis has signed Senate Bill 168, a measure authored by Senator Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach), that will increase protections against identity theft in California. SB 168 will limit businesses from printing Social Security Numbers on identification cards and bills, and it allows consumers to issue a "fraud alert" on their credit reports.
California Governor Gray Davis has vetoed Senate Bill 147, a measure that have required companies to give employees notice before monitoring their e-mail. Gov. Davis reasoned that giving notice to employees would place to great of regulatory burden on businesses.
Electronic Numbering (ENUM) is a standard that enables contact information to be retrieved through the use of a single number. The technology can enable people to communicate via e-mail, fax, voicemail, phone, pager, and other devices through the use of a single number.
Federal Trade Commission Chair Timothy Muris has announced that he does not support federal legislation to protect privacy. His announcement reverses the former FTC policy, that allowed industry to self-regulate for years before ultimately concluding that self-regulation proved ineffective. Instead of pursuing legislation, Muris plans to devote more resources to enforcing current law in the area of identity theft, pretexting, and credit reporting violations.
Simon Davies, Director of Privacy International, argues in the Daily Telegraph that a system of national identification cards will lead to privacy violations. Proposals for national ID also entail requirements that citizens submit a biometric identifier, the requirement that individuals produce the ID upon request, and a linkage between the card and data held by government.
The Council of Ministers of the European Union (EU) has voted to prohibit the use of unsolicited commercial e-mail (Spam). Companies must obtain opt-in consent in order to send commercial e-mail messages. To become effective, this prohibition must be approved by the European Parliament.
