--------------------------------------------------------------- EPIC DIGEST AT PRIVACY.ORG EPIC-DIGEST is a weekly update of news, information, and action items posted on privacy.org. April 11-17, 2001 TOC------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS Truste: Companies in Flux Should Hire Privacy Auditor Amtrak Sharing Rider Information, Profit from Seizures, with DEA HHS Will Implement Health Privacy Regulations Government Purchasing Personal Info from Private Sector Microsoft .Net Proposal Draws Fire FTC Trumps Trans Union in Credit Report Marketing Case Government Web Sites Still Using Cookies Advocate Crusades Against Spam ACTION Support the Privacy Coalition's Privacy Pledge NEWS----------------------------------------------------------- Truste: Companies in Flux Should Hire Privacy Auditor Truste, an industry privacy group, announced that companies undergoing a merger, acquisition, or bankruptcy should hire an auditor to prevent violations of privacy policies. TRUSTe Guidelines on Personally Identifiable Information Uses in Mergers, Acquisitions, Bankruptcies, Closures, and Dissolutions of Web Sites, Truste Web Site. http://www.truste.org/bus/spotlight.html Firms In Flux Should Seek Outside Privacy Counsel, Group Says, Newsbytes, April 11, 2001. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/164411.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Amtrak Sharing Rider Information, Profit from Seizures, with DEA Amtrak is providing the DEA with ticketing information about passengers in an effort to stem the flow of illegal drugs. DEA agents have direct access to an Amtrak computer that contains information on passenger names, origination points, destinations, and payment information. In exchange for access to the database, Amtrak receives 10% of whatever seizures the DEA makes using the information. Amtrak Helps DEA Hunt Drug Couriers, Albuquerque Journal, April 11, 2001. http://www.abqjournal.com/news/301438news04-11-01.htm Amtrak shares passenger info with DEA for drug prosecutions, Declan McCullagh's politechbot.com, April 11, 2001. http://www.politechbot.com/p-01909.html Your Rights Online: Keeping DEA In The Loop About Amtrak Travelers, Slashdot, April 15, 2001. http://slashdot.org/yro/01/04/16/0147238.shtml Amtrak 'Sharing' Information With D.E.A., New York Times, April 15, 2001 (registration required). http://partners.nytimes.com/2001/04/15/weekinreview/15BOXA.html --------------------------------------------------------------- HHS Will Implement Health Privacy Regulations The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that federal health privacy regulations will take effect on April 14, 2001, as previously scheduled. Previous reports indicated that HHS Secretary Thompson would delay or weaken the protections. Instead, changes in the regulation will be made after its implementation. President Bush's Statement on HIPAA Medical Privacy Regulations, White House Web Site, April 12, 2001. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/04/20010412-1.html Statement by HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson Regarding the Patient Privacy Rule, HHS Web Site, April 12, 2001. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2001pres/20010412.html Medical Privacy Rules to Take Effect, CNN.com, April 12, 2001. http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/04/12/medical.privacy/index.html?s=2 Bush Won't Delay Medical-Privacy Rules, New York Times, April 12, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Health-Privacy.html Privacy Coalition Letter to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, Privacy Coalition Web Site. http://www.privacypledge.org/hipaa.html Text of Medical Privacy Regulations, HHS OCR Web Site. http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/index.html Health Privacy Project Web Site. http://www.healthprivacy.org/ --------------------------------------------------------------- Government Purchasing Personal Info from Private Sector The FBI, IRS, and numerous other agencies are purchasing personal information from private-sector brokers such as Choicepoint and Lexis-Nexis. The information includes personal assets, aliases, birthdate, social security number, addresses, driving records, phone numbers, and other information. Government agencies purchase this information from outside sources in order to evade internal policies and the Privacy Act of 1974. FBI turns to private sector for data, MSNBC.com (WSJ), April 13, 2001. http://www.msnbc.com/news/558876.asp?cp1=1 FBI's Reliance on the Private Sector Has Raised Some Privacy Concerns, Wall Street Journal, April 13, 2001 (subscription required). http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB987107477135398077.htm How Choicepoint serves up your personal info to the FBI, Declan McCullagh's politechbot.com, April 13, 2001. http://www.politechbot.com/p-01917.html ChoicePoint Online for the FBI, Choicepoint Web Site. http://www.cpfbi.com Choicepoint Online for the INS, Choicepoint Web Site. http://www.cpins.com/ Choicepoint Online for HUD, Choicepoint Web Site. http://www.cphud.com/ Choicepoint Online for the Government, Choicepoint Web Site. http://www.cpgov.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Microsoft .Net Proposal Draws Fire Microsoftıs .Net system calls for consumers to store their data in a central database on the companyıs computers. While Microsoft has urged consumers to trust their data with the company, Microsoft has lobbied against privacy legislation that would extend consumers rights in law. In Microsoft Do You Trust?, Interactive Week, April 16, 2001. http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0,4164,2707840,00.html --------------------------------------------------------------- FTC Trumps Trans Union in Credit Report Marketing Case An appeals court has upheld an FTC order compelling Trans Union to stop using consumer report data for marketing. Trans Union, one of the major credit reporting agencies, was selling targeted marketing lists of persons who recently received automobile loans, mortgages, and credit cards. The company claimed a First Amendment right in using this information for marketing purposes. Trans Union v. FTC, PACER. http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/common/opinions/200104/00-1141a.txt Financial Privacy, Tech Law Journal Daily Report, April 16, 2001. http://www.techlawjournal.com/alert/2001/04/16.asp Credit Firm Told to Stop Selling Data, Washington Post, April 17, 2001. http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24939-2001Apr16.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Government Web Sites Still Using Cookies Preliminary results from a congressional report shows that government web sites are still employing cookies, contrary to a Clinton administration rule banning the practice. The report examines 16 agencies, and shows that 64 federal web sites plant cookies on usersı hard drives. The report is being conducted by the Inspector General Office. Report: Online privacy not protected, Nandotimes (AP), April 16, 2001. http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/0,1643,500473969-500727151-504111916-0,00.html Senator Raises Privacy as Federal Web Site Issue, New York Times, April 17, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/17/technology/17PRIV.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Advocate Crusades Against Spam This story details the activities of David Ritz, a crusader against unsolicited commercial e-mail. Ritz is one of a number of activists that attempt to free the net from spam, especially as the unwelcome e-mail clogs Usenet groups. Lone Guns Set Sites on Spam, Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2001. http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/lat_spam010416.htm 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). 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