--------------------------------------------------------------- EPIC DIGEST AT PRIVACY.ORG EPIC-DIGEST is a weekly update of news, information, and action items posted on privacy.org. April 3-11, 2001 TOC------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS City Sues to Block Web Site with Officersą Information House Subcommittee Holds Privacy Hearing Bush Wonąt Appoint Privacy Czar Federal Computers Experience Security Breaches Survey: Americans Want Access and Privacy Police Attempt to Gain Access to Book Lists Bush Administration to Revise Medical Privacy Regulations Armey to Congress: Go Slow on Privacy Study: Opt-Out Notices Unreadable to Most ACLU Privacy Campaign Highlights Government Eavesdropping EPIC Responds to Armey Letter More Privacy Legislation Introduced ACTION Support the Privacy Coalition's Privacy Pledge NEWS----------------------------------------------------------- City Sues to Block Web Site with Officersą Information A city in Washington State has sued a web site operator for posting the home addresses, phone numbers, salaries, and social security numbers of police officers. The city is considering legislation to increase privacy protection for city employees. Kirkland sues over Web site listing officers' personal details, Seattle Times, April 3, 2001. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ SeattleTimes.woa/wa/gotoArticle?zsection_id=268448406& text_only=0&slug=website03m&document_id=134280503 Justice Files, web site with officers' personal information. http://www.justicefiles.org/ --------------------------------------------------------------- House Subcommittee Holds Privacy Hearing The House Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection held a hearing on federal statutes addressing information privacy. The committee heard testimony on Customer Proprietary Network Information, the GLBA, the FCRA, and TiVo. The Tech Law Journal has links to the broadcast of the hearing, and the written testimony of the speakers. Privacy Hearing, Tech Law Journal Daily Report, April 4, 2001. http://www.techlawjournal.com/alert/2001/04/04.asp --------------------------------------------------------------- Bush Wonąt Appoint Privacy Czar President Bush has decided not to appoint a privacy adviser, according to a policy analyst at the Office of Management and Budget. Bush wonąt have privacy czar, Federal Computer Week, April 6, 2001. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/0402/web-swire-04-06-01.asp --------------------------------------------------------------- Federal Computers Experience Security Breaches Federal officials testifying at a House subcommittee hearing said that cyber vandals increasingly are successful in gaining access to government computers. Thirty-two agencies reported that cyber vandals took control over 155 computers in the last year. Officials: Federal systems increasingly falling prey to hackers, Computerworld, April 5, 2001. http://computerworld.com/nlt/1%2C3590%2CNAV47_STO59280_NLTpm%2C00.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Survey: Americans Want Access and Privacy A study conducted by the First Amendment Center and the American Society of Newspaper Editors found that Americans are in favor of robust access to public files. However, a majority of the respondents support increasing privacy protections, even if the protections burden journalists from accessing public information. Americans concerned about personal information privacy, SiliconValley.com (AP), April 6, 2001. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/svfront/013211.htm --------------------------------------------------------------- Police Attempt to Gain Access to Book Lists This article in the New York Times details police efforts to obtain book sales records at the Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver, Colorado. Increasingly, police have attempted to gain access to book lists in order to tie criminal suspects with crimes. Such practices can have a chilling effect on freedom to read and research. Using Books as Evidence Against Their Readers, New York Times, April 8, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/08/weekinreview/08BARR.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Bush Administration to Revise Medical Privacy Regulations The Bush Administration has decided to revise medical privacy regulations issued in the last weeks of the Clinton Administration. The regulations would have given patients a number of rights, including notice, consent, access, redress, and enforcement. White House Plans to Revise New Medical Privacy Rules, New York Times, April 8, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/08/politics/08PRIV.html? --------------------------------------------------------------- Armey to Congress: Go Slow on Privacy Republican leader Dick Armey (R-TX) has urged fellow legislators to retard progress on privacy legislation. Armey wrote that the new economy could be endangered by privacy protections. Fears on Privacy Law Spur Warning by Armey, New York Times, April 9, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/09/technology/09PRIV.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Study: Opt-Out Notices Unreadable to Most A study conducted by Mark Hochhauser, a readability consultant, found that most opt-out notices contained in financial statements are written at a college reading level. The notices analyzed are required by the Financial Services Modernization Act (GLBA), a law that allows individuals to opt-out from certain information sharing Lost in the Fine Print: Readability of Financial Privacy Notices, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Web Site. http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/GLB-Reading.htm Financial Privacy in the New Millennium: The Burden Is on You, Fact Sheet, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Web Site. http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs24-finpriv.htm Financial Privacy: How to Read Your "Opt-Out" Notices, Fact Sheet, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Web Site. http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs24a-optout.htm --------------------------------------------------------------- ACLU Privacy Campaign Highlights Government Eavesdropping A new ACLU campaign has emphasized government surveillance of personal communications. In advertisements printed in major publications, ACLU warns that the government is increasingly engaging in unwarranted surveillance in violation of the Fourth Amendment. New ACLU Advertisement Highlights Massive U.S. Government Electronic Surveillance, ACLU Web Site. http://www.aclu.org/privacyrights/ --------------------------------------------------------------- EPIC Responds to Armey Letter Majority leader Armey sent a letter to Congress yesterday urging legislators to "go slow" on privacy, and to focus on governmental invasions of privacy before exploring private-sector abuses. EPIC has responded to Representative Armey's letter, and challenged him to continue a strong American tradition of protecting individuals from both governmental and private sector invasions of privacy. The EPIC letter sets out specific areas in which citizensą privacy could be further protected from governmental actions. Privacy: For those Who Live in Glass Houses, Majority Leader Armey Letter on Privacy, Armey Web Site. http://www.freedom.gov/library/technology/memo/privacy.asp EPIC Responds to Armey, EPIC Letter, EPIC Web Site. http://www.epic.org/privacy/epicrespondstoarmey.html Privacy, Tech Law Journal Daily Report, April 10, 2001. http://www.techlawjournal.com/alert/2001/04/10.asp Congress Should Focus On Govt. And Consumer Privacy EPIC, Newsbytes, April 10, 2001. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/164354.html --------------------------------------------------------------- More Privacy Legislation Introduced To date, over forty bills have been introduced in the US Congress that implicate privacy issues. The bills cover computer security, online privacy, medical privacy, use of social security numbers, student privacy, telemarketing, fair credit practices, and spyware. Privacy legislation, thus far, has been a bi-partisan effort, as both parties have introduced over twenty bills. EPIC Bill Track, EPIC Web Site. http://www.epic.org/privacy/bill_track.html ACTION--------------------------------------------------------- Support the Privacy Coalition's Privacy Pledge The Privacy Coalition, a nonpartisan coalition of consumer, civil liberties, educational, library, labor, and family-based groups unveiled the Privacy Pledge last week. The Pledge calls upon legislators to promulgate laws that effectively protection personal privacy. The Privacy Pledge http://www.privacypledge.org/ --------------------------------------------------------------- Privacy.org is a joint project of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (http://www.epic.org) and Privacy International (http://www.privacyinternational.org). For more information, e-mail Chris Hoofnagle at digest-editor@privacy.org. --------------------------------------------------------------- How to unsubscribe from EPIC-DIGEST: You can leave the EPIC-DIGEST by entering the subscription e-mail address at http://www.privacy.org/digest.php and selecting "unsubscribe." Or, you can send a blank e-mail message to EPIC-DIGEST@lists.epic.org from the subscribed address with the following text in the subject line: unsubscribe If you experience difficulty with subscription issues, send a message to digest-editor@privacy.org. --------------------------------------------------------------- EPIC-DIGEST Privacy Policy: http://www.privacy.org/privacy.php --------------------------------------------------------------- END EPIC-DIGEST