--------------------------------------------------------------- EPIC DIGEST AT PRIVACY.ORG EPIC-DIGEST is a weekly update of news, information, and action items posted on privacy.org. August 28-September 5, 2001 TOC------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS Online Financial Privacy Criticized Lessig: IP Law Crushing Innovation US Will Support Private Web Access for Chinese States Expanding Use of Offender DNA Databases Rental Car Agencies Install Tracking Devices Judge Objects to Judicial Monitoring CSTB Calls for Nominations Poll: Privacy More Important than Crime, Star Wars Initiatives Protests Against Video Surveillance Planned ENUM: An Emerging Privacy Challenge ACTION Oppose the Official Secrets Act NEWS----------------------------------------------------------- Online Financial Privacy Criticized A new study by the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) demonstrates that online financial services often have inadequate means of controlling personal data use. CDT also filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging that several financial institutions are collecting information from customers without posting a privacy policy. Online Banking Privacy: A Slow Confusing Start to Giving Customers Control Over Their Information, CDT Report (7 MB PDF). http://www.cdt.org/privacy/financial/010829onlinebanking.pdf CDT complaint to the FTC. http://www.cdt.org/privacy/financial/010829ftc.shtml Online Privacy Policies Decried, Washington Post, August 30, 2001. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16683-2001Aug29.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Lessig: IP Law Crushing Innovation In and address to the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo, Stanford Law Professor Larry Lessig argued that Intellectual Property Law is stifling innovation and even academic inquiry. Lessig proposed a new copyright system, where protection in law would last for five years with the option to renew for up to seventy-five years. Rallying cry in open-source war, ZDNet, August 29, 2001. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5096361,00.html?chkpt=zdnnp1tp02 Keep Digital Copyright Law Intact, Agency Says, Washington Post, August 30, 2001. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16744-2001Aug29.html --------------------------------------------------------------- US Will Support Private Web Access for Chinese The International Broadcasting Bureau, which governs the Voice of America, has confirmed plans to support the Safeweb network, a system of servers that provides privacy to those accessing the web. Safeweb's Triangle Boy servers allow individuals to circumvent filtering and other tools of censorship. U.S. May Help Chinese Evade Net Censorship, New York Times, August 30, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/30/technology/30VOIC.html? Safeweb. https://www.safeweb.com/ Safeweb Triangle Boy. https://fugu.safeweb.com/sjws/solutions/triangle_boy.html --------------------------------------------------------------- States Expanding Use of Offender DNA Databases Increasingly states have been compelling all convicted felons to submit a DNA sample to an offender database. All 50 states collect DNA samples from convicted sex offenders. DNA Backlog Hampers Use of New Crime-Fighting Tool, Stateline, August 30, 2001. http://www.stateline.org/story.cfm?storyid=143705 --------------------------------------------------------------- Rental Car Agencies Install Tracking Devices Rental car companies are installing tracking devices in cars that monitor driversš travels. "Telematic" systems combine GPS location technology and a wireless phone to track drivers who may be unaware that such devices even exist in the car. The systems raise the possibility that the rental car company can track a driveršs trip, and automatically call the driver if there is a deviation from travel plans. Other location tracking devices being developed are marketed to parents who wish to monitor their children as they drive. These devices can automatically report the whereabouts of a vehicle and whether the driver exceeded certain boundaries set by the parent. Car-Rental Companies Install Devices That Can Monitor Driver's Whereabouts, Wall Street Journal, August 28, 2001 (subscription required). http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB999124130505065329.htm --------------------------------------------------------------- Judge Objects to Judicial Monitoring Judge Kozinski has written an editorial in the Wall Street Journal advocating an end to monitoring of computers and other equipment used by judges. Such monitoring will endanger confidentiality and worker morale. Privacy on Trial, Wall Street Journal, September 4, 2001 (subscription required). http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB999557034770237386.htm Your Rights Online: Big Brother To Watch Judges?, Slashdot, September 4, 2001. http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/09/04/0644222&mode=thread National Secrets, Too Frequently Told, New York Times, September 5, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/05/opinion/05COHE.html? --------------------------------------------------------------- CSTB Calls for Nominations The Computer Science Telecommunications Board (CSTB) has issued a call for nominations for a study on Privacy in the Information Age. CSTB is seeking experts in a variety of fields to assist with the study. Privacy in the Information Age, CSTB Call for Nominations. http://www4.nationalacademies.org/cpsma/cstb.nsf/web/ project_privacy_nominations?OpenDocument CSTB Privacy in the Information Age Study Page. http://www.cstb.org/web/project_privacy --------------------------------------------------------------- Poll: Privacy More Important than Crime, Star Wars Initiatives A poll reported in the New York Times shows that 67% of Americans identify online privacy as a big concern. 55% identified crime as a big concern, and only 22% were concerned with building an antimissile shield. The poll was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies. Giving the Web a Memory Cost Its Users Privacy, New York Times, September 4, 2001. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/04/technology/04COOK.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Protests Against Video Surveillance Planned Protests have been planned in opposition to facial recognition technology and video surveillance for September 7, 2001 and December 24, 2001. International Day of Action Against Video Surveillance. http://sf.indymedia.org/display.php?id=103333 World Subject Rights Day. http://wearcam.org/wsd.htm --------------------------------------------------------------- ENUM: An Emerging Privacy Challenge ENUM, or Electronic Numbering, is a technology that enables a person to link personal information to a single number. ENUM can bring great convenience in communications, however, it raises significant privacy risks. EPIC ENUM Page. http://www.epic.org/privacy/enum/default.html Single-Number Plan Raises Privacy Fears, Los Angeles Times, September 2, 2001. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-000071061sep02.story?coll= la%2Dheadlines%2Dtechnology One number and no escape anywhere, The Times, September 3, 2001. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-2001303964,00.html Your Rights Online: A Number For Everything, Slashdot, September 4, 2001. http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/09/04/0033211&mode=thread ACTION--------------------------------------------------------- Oppose the Official Secrets Act Language has been inserted in an Intelligence spending bill that would criminalize leaks of "classified" information by government employees. This "Official Secrets Act" (OSA) will not improve national security. Instead, the criminalization of leaks will shield misconduct from public light and restrict public debate. EPIC has signed on to a letter to Senator Bob Graham requesting that the language be removed. Read more about the OSA at the OMB Watch Web Site. http://www.ombwatch.org/info/osa/osa.html Read the letter hat EPIC joined to Senator Bob Graham in opposition to the OSA. http://www.epic.org/open_gov/grahamosaletter.html Send a fax to the Senate opposing the OSA via ACLUšs Action Alert. http://www.aclu.org/action/classified107.html --------------------------------------------------------------- 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." 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