Database State by Ross Anderson, Ian Brown, Terri Dowty, Philip Inglesant, William Heath, Angela Sasse, Foundation for Information Policy Research (March 2009)
In recent years, the Government has built or extended many central databases that hold information on every aspect of our lives, from health and education to welfare, law–enforcement and tax.
This ‘Transformational Government’ programme was [...]
Archive of entries posted on March 2009
Database State
Call to scrap ‘illegal databases’
From the BBC:
A quarter of all government databases are illegal and should be scrapped or redesigned, according to a report.
The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust says storing information leads to vulnerable people, such as young black men, single parents and children, being victimised.
It says the UK’s “database state” wastes billions from the public purse and often [...]
Freedom of Information: A Comparative Study
From the Global Integrity Commons:
The open and convenient access to government information is essential to democracy. Free debate and accountability require transparent governance structures that encourage citizens to engage with public officials. However, our data from the Global Integrity Report shows that the legislation and practice of this right vary greatly across the globe. Here [...]
YouTube Blocked in China, Google Says
From the New York Times:
Google said Tuesday that its YouTube video-sharing Web site had been blocked in China.
Google said it did not know why the site had been blocked, but a report by the official Xinhua news agency of China on Tuesday said that supporters of the Dalai Lama had fabricated a video that appeared [...]
Ontario judge orders website to reveal identity data on anonymous posters
From the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:
An Ontario Superior Court judge has ordered a pair of website owners to turn over identifying information about eight people being accused of defamation after posting anonymous comments.
“In my view, the defendants are under an obligation to disclose all documents in their power and control,” Justice Stanley Kershman said in a [...]
New Zealand withdraws internet anti-piracy law
From the Times Online:
A controversial law that could have forced firms to disconnect internet users accused of illegally downloading music or films has been withdrawn by the New Zealand government.
The Copyright Amendment Act would have put the onus on internet service providers to ban users accused of copyright breaches, even if such allegations were unproven. [...]
Consumer groups, phone companies spar over U.S. stimulus
From Reuters:
Phone companies faced off against consumer groups on Monday, in a debate over whether $7.2 billion in federal broadband spending should come with a mandate that Internet networks remain open to all traffic.
As the government prepares to set rules for doling out the funds, public interest groups say providers vying for money should abide [...]
Another First, as MIT Faculty Adopts “University-Wide” Open Access Policy
From Library Journal:
Another week, another new faculty open access mandate—this one coming from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT becomes the latest in what is becoming a steady stream of faculty approving open access mandates, following Harvard’s groundbreaking OA mandate last year. The policy was approved unanimously at an MIT faculty meeting on Wednesday, [...]
In a First, Oregon State University Library Faculty Adopts Strong OA Policy
From Library Journal:
They say change starts at home. On March 13, the library faculty at Oregon State University (OSU) announced the school has adopted its own, Harvard-like Open Access (OA) mandate, the first in the nation for a library faculty.
Under the policy, library faculty members are now required to give an electronic copy of “the [...]
Google’s Book Settlement Is a Ripoff for Authors
From the Wall Street Journal:
To get through the 385 pages of mind-numbing legalese of the Google settlement, it might be better to be Nino Scalia, Bob Bork or David Boies. Preferably all three at once. Absent brain enhancement surgery, understanding this monstrosity by May 5, 2009, is going to be rough.
That’s the date by which [...]