Part-Time Policy Wonk

From PC World:

Speaking at a conference in South Korea, Eric Schmidt, the chairman and CEO of Google Inc., ducked the question of whether his company's dominance of Internet search may ultimately distort democratic gains from improved information access. But he promised governments will be held to account more than ever before.

"Politicians will be forced to be more transparent," Schmidt said Wednesday, responding to a question from an attendee at the Seoul Digital Forum. Video of Schmidt's remarks was carried live on the Internet.

Posted by Anne at 08:12 PM | Permalink

From the California First Amendment Coalition:

Those enterprising members of the Tracy City Council have come up with a strategy to hide from public view all their written communications about government business. With a bit of legal legerdemain, they claim to be able to evade state open-government laws, transforming their communications from public records into private correspondence.

How can they do that? Simple, according to their legal pleadings in a lawsuit in San Joaquin County Superior Court: When sending or receiving email, as long as the council members use their own computer (rather than a city-owned computer), and as long as they use their own email account (rather than an account set up by the city), their messages are not subject to the Public Records Act, no matter what the emails say or to whom they’re sent.

The Public Records Act defines a public record as “any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public’s business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency . . .” (emphasis added.) Email that is not composed on a Tracy computer or transmitted via a Tracy email account or server is not “prepared, owned, used or retained” by the city of Tracy, argue the council members.

Posted by Anne at 07:41 PM | Permalink

Available from the Project on Government Secrecy:

The Constitution of the United States makes no specific allowance for any one of the co-equal branches to have access to information held by the others and contains no provision expressly establishing a procedure for, or a right of, public access to government information. Nonetheless, Congress has legislated various public access laws. These include two records access statutes — the Freedom of Information Act (FOI Act or FOIA; 5 U.S.C. § 552) and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. § 552a) — and two meetings access statutes — the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA; 5 U.S.C. App.) and the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. § 552b). Moreover, due to the American separation of powers model of government, interbranch conflicts over the accessibility of information are neither unexpected nor necessarily destructive. The federal courts, historically, have been reluctant to review and resolve “political questions” involving information disputes between Congress and the executive branch. Although there is considerable interbranch cooperation, such conflicts probably will continue to occur on occasion.

Posted by Anne at 07:39 PM | Permalink

From the National Coalition for History:

On April 26, 2007, the National Coalition for History, the American Historical Association, and twenty other organizations wrote to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein to express concerns about the possible destruction of records relating to the cases of detainees being held at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A recent federal court Protective Order concerning the case records could possibly be interpreted to authorize or direct the destruction of government records that should be permanently preserved, such as the Combatant Status Review Tribunal record and interview notes.

Posted by Anne at 07:38 PM | Permalink

From Kable:

The information commissioner Richard Thomas will announce plans to deter vexatious requests made under the Freedom of Information Act. At a conference in London on 24 May 2007, he will say that such cases can waste public money and jeopardise the reputation of the Act.

Speaking on BBC Radio Four's Today progamme, Thomas said that examples were a request to 10 Downing Street about the amount of toilet paper used and a request to Hampshire Police about the number of eligible bachelors in the force.

His office is developing further guidelines to help public bodies resist requests which are pointless. A Charter for Responsible FOI Requests will help to prevent requests which have no serious purpose or value, impose disproportionate burdens or have the effect of harassing the public body.

Posted by Anne at 07:36 PM | Permalink

From Discovery News:

The world's largest database of U.S. military records, spanning more than four centuries from the 1600's to the Vietnam War, is now available and searchable online, according to Ancestry.com.

Highlights from the collection include World War I and World War II draft registration cards; prisoner of war records from the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War II, and Korea; unit rosters for the Marine Corps and Navy; burial registers; service records from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War; and casualty listings from WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

The online collection will be available for free to Internet users until the anniversary of D-Day, June 6th (2007), at www.ancestry.com/military.

Posted by Anne at 07:34 PM | Permalink

From Inside Higher Education:

Professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were perplexed: How could a membership organization that gladly accepts and archives their scholarly work turn around and limit transmission of the material?

MIT faculty have contributed roughly 350 papers in the last eight years to the Society of Automotive Engineers’ digital database, according to Ellen F. Duranceau, scholarship publishing and licensing consultant for MIT Libraries. They were used to sharing the technical papers found through the site with colleagues and viewing the material in multiple sittings.

But a policy enacted by SAE about two years changed the nature of the service. The group began requiring users to download a plug-in that prevented sharing encrypted documents over a network. Users could only view a paper on a single desktop computer and were allowed one printed copy per access code. No saving a copy to the computer. No photocopying. SAE also changed pricing models so that users were charged per view, Duranceau said.

Last month, MIT Libraries explained in a blog posting its decision to cancel access to the database because of the restraints. The decision set off a chain of events that has led SAE to reconsider its policy. The case shows, among other things, the extent to which faculty members will go to protect the free flow of academic information in a time when technology allows for greater research sharing.

Posted by Anne at 07:33 PM | Permalink

From the New York Times:

The first step to solving a problem is recognizing that you have one.

That's what I keep telling myself, anyway, to avoid becoming depressed by Maplight.org.

It's a new Web site with a very simple mission: to correlate lawmakers' voting records with the money they've accepted from special-interest groups.

All of this is public information. All of it has been available for decades. Other sites, including OpenSecrets.org, expose who's giving how much to whom. But nobody has ever revealed the relationship between money given and votes cast to quite such a startling effect.

Posted by Anne at 08:59 PM | Permalink

With a focus on the most significant international issues in mind, CFR.org has launched its Campaign 2008 site, engineered to track the campaign through the prism of foreign policy, trade, international economics, and national and homeland security issues. Pundits may bemoan the extended campaign period, yet a silver lining may exist if the added months of scrutiny cause serious candidates to grapple with an unprecedented level of detail on international questions. Our site is designed to encourage precisely that, providing regularly updated Candidate Issue Guides that track stances on specific topics like energy policy, homeland security, international trade, or U.S. policy toward Iran.

Posted by Anne at 08:55 PM | Permalink

From The Independent:

Google, the world's biggest search engine, is setting out to create the most comprehensive database of personal information ever assembled, one with the ability to tell people how to run their lives.

In a mission statement that raises the spectre of an internet Big Brother to rival Orwellian visions of the state, Google has revealed details of how it intends to organise and control the world's information.

The company's chief executive, Eric Schmidt, said during a visit to Britain this week: "The goal is to enable Google users to be able to ask the question such as 'What shall I do tomorrow?' and 'What job shall I take?'.". . .

. . . The Independent has now learnt that the body representing Europe's data protection watchdogs has written to Google requesting more information about its information retention policy.

The multibillion-pound search engine has already said it plans to impose a limit on the period it keeps personal information.

A spokesman for the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK agency responsible for monitoring data legislation confirmed it had been part of the group of organisations, known as the Article 29 Working Group, which had written to Google.

It is understood the letter asked for more detail about Google's policy on the retention of data. Google says it will respond to the Article 29 request next month when it publishes a full response on its website.

Posted by Anne at 08:52 PM | Permalink

From GPO Administrative Notes, Vol. 28, no. 03-04:

The final analysis report of the GPO LOCKSS Pilot Project is now available on GPO Access at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/lockss/index.html.

GPO launched the GPO LOCKSS Pilot Project in June 2005 to investigate how LOCKSS might be used for digital distribution. LOCKSS (for “Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe”) is open source software that provides institutions with a way to collect, store, and maintain access to their own local copy of e-journal content. LOCKSS was developed by Stanford University, and it is currently maintained by the Stanford University LOCKSS Program Management Office with support from the LOCKSS Alliance. LOCKSS runs on standard desktop hardware and requires minimal technical administration. Once installed, the LOCKSS software converts a personal computer into a digital preservation box that creates low-cost, persistent, accessible copies of e-journal content as it is published. The accuracy and completeness of content stored in a LOCKSS box is assured through a robust and secure, peer-to-peer polling and reputation system.

• Executive Summary - PDF
• Full Report - PDF

Posted by Anne at 08:46 PM | Permalink

Press Release:

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday called on the Senate to pass bipartisan reforms to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act before adjourning for the Memorial Day recess.

Following up on their efforts last Congress, Leahy and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) teamed up again this year to introduce the “Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act” (the “OPEN Government Act”) S.849. The bill, which has broad bipartisan support, won the approval of the Senate Judiciary Committee in April, but its passage in the full Senate is being delayed by an anonymous hold.

“It is both unfortunate and ironic that this bipartisan bill, which promotes sunshine and openness in our government, is being hindered by a secret and anonymous hold. This is a good government bill that Democrats and Republicans alike, can and should work together to enact,” said Leahy.

If you have a Republican senator, please call or email to ask: Did you place the secret hold on the OPEN Government Act?

Posted by Anne at 08:43 PM | Permalink

From Secrecy News:

Historians and other researchers may continue to access archival records at Los Alamos National Laboratory, officials said last week. But they also affirmed strict new limits on such access.

A story in Secrecy News (May 3) describing new restrictions on researchers was based on a misunderstanding by Lab personnel, Department of Energy and Lab officials said last week. Although there was a technical change in policy, access to the archives remains unaffected, the officials asserted.

The technical change occurred because Los Alamos National Security (LANS), the contractor that replaced the University of California as Lab manager, is not subject to the California Public Records Act (CPRA). . .

. . . Despite the new assertions, however, the current access policy for private researchers at Los Alamos is significantly constrained compared to the recent past. And the latest statement of policy is crafted in such a way as to limit direct access to unclassified records to those that have been specifically marked for public release.

Posted by Anne at 07:49 PM | Permalink

From Government Executive:

As lawmakers and the library community continue prodding the Environmental Protection Agency for details about its plans to consolidate the regional EPA library system, one organization has launched a collaborative "wiki" to let federal librarians anonymously air what they know about the changes.

Since the 109th Congress, House Democratic leaders have expressed fears that library documents will become inaccessible as the agency shutters many physical facilities and shifts to a primarily digital library set-up. After the president's fiscal 2007 budget recommended major cuts in library funding, EPA closed three regional libraries and its headquarters library.

In response to confusion about the EPA's plans, the American Library Association recently created a Web site that uses wiki software so anyone with an Internet browser can add to or modify information about threatened federal libraries.

Posted by Anne at 07:46 PM | Permalink

From the New York Times:

There are three “rats of the week” on the home page of whosarat.com, a Web site devoted to exposing the identities of witnesses cooperating with the government. The site posts their names and mug shots, along with court documents detailing what they have agreed to do in exchange for lenient sentences. . .

. . . Federal prosecutors are furious, and the Justice Department has begun urging the federal courts to make fundamental changes in public access to electronic court files by removing all plea agreements from them — whether involving cooperating witnesses or not.

Posted by Anne at 07:44 PM | Permalink

From the Mercury News:

Faced with legal demands from state attorneys general, MySpace.com said Monday it will release data on registered sex offenders it has identified and removed from the popular social networking Web site.

Posted by Anne at 07:43 PM | Permalink

From the Seattle Times:

The offer from Simon & Schuster seems ideal: Let us publish your book and it will never go out of print. Even if it sells just one copy a year, we'll keep it available, thanks to digital technology.

And that, says the Authors Guild, which represents thousands of published writers, is unacceptable.

Posted by Anne at 07:41 PM | Permalink

From The Hill:

The work of congressional committees, the vital organs of Congress, remains difficult for citizens to access, despite their central public role in developing policies that guide this nation. Their centrality to the legislative process may be generally underappreciated because of a lack of meaningful public access. To address this, committees should post their proceedings and documents online to highlight their work and their central function to the work of Congress.

Posted by Anne at 07:41 PM | Permalink

From the Contra Costa Times:

New technologies push digital data into extinction, and the U.S. government is cutting funding from efforts to preserve it

It is commonly agreed that the destruction of the ancient Library of Alexandria in Egypt was one of the most devastating losses of knowledge in all of civilization. Today, however, the digital information that drives our world and powers our economy is in many ways more susceptible to loss than the papyrus and parchment at Alexandria.

Posted by Anne at 07:39 PM | Permalink

From the Houston Chronicle:

Grabbing pictures of iconic Smithsonian Institution artifacts just got a whole lot easier.

Before, if you wanted to get a picture of the Wright Brothers' plane, you could go to the Smithsonian Images Web site and pay for a print or high-resolution image after clicking through several warnings about copyrights and other restrictions _ and only if you were a student, teacher or pledging not to use it to make money.

Now, you can just go to the free photo-sharing Web site flickr.com.

A nonprofit group is challenging the copyrights and restrictions on images being sold by the Smithsonian. But instead of going to court, the group downloaded all 6,288 photos online and posted them Wednesday night on the free Internet site.

Posted by Anne at 08:22 PM | Permalink

From the Book Standard:

The Authors Guild, the largest organization of authors in the United States, is upset over changes made to Simon and Schuster's author contracts, saying the publisher is trying to retain control of books even after they have gone out of print. In a standard author contract, once a book has gone out of print or sales are too low, the rights revert back to the author.

Posted by Anne at 08:21 PM | Permalink

2 articles in 2 weeks about Fiji? I must be over due for a vacation.

From the Fiji Times:

About $3.8million will be used to build a new complex and renovate the old National Archives.

Government archivist Setareki Tale said construction of the new complex, which started in 2005, would be completed by the end of the year.

He said the project was to ensure the proper preservation and safe custody of records held in the archive. . .

. . . The National Archives of Fiji is the custodian of permanent records of Fiji, both public and private, dating back to 1835.

It is responsible for the proper preservation and maintenance of records held by it to meet its objectives of providing information contained in the records to the interim Government, students and the public when required.

Posted by Anne at 08:20 PM | Permalink

From Information World Review:

Web censorship by governments for political, social or 'national security' reasons is increasing, according to a global survey by the OpenNet Initiative.

John Palfrey, executive director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and clinical professor of law at Harvard Law School, believes the survey shows that online censorship is growing around the world.

"Some regulation is to be expected as the medium matures, but filtering and surveillance can seriously erode civil liberties and privacy, and stifle global communications," he said.

The survey focused on geographical areas, such as Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and found that 26 of the 41 countries surveyed block or filter internet content.

Posted by Anne at 08:17 PM | Permalink

From Daily Kos comes the DOJ Email Database related to the U.S. Attorney firing scandal

To my knowledge, this is the first and largest collective effort by volunteers to assimilate open source data and convert it into a public, referenced, research tool. . .

. . . This database includes all of the 2086 unique emails included in the HJC [House Judiciary Committee]-released documents from the DOJ. It is fully searchable and referenced, so you can easily see the email "with your own eyes". Also included is referenced biographical information for many of the involved personnel. Finally, as a second functionality, we also include a "Text Search" tool that enables search of all of the text of all of the PDF documents.

Also online is a usable, electronic version of the immigration reform bill from theTruth Laid Bear.

Late Friday night, an electronic version of the "immigration reform" bill was finally published, and quickly found its way into the hands of KLo at the Corner. From there, it has spread all over the net, of course.

But the published version is a big, clunky PDF file (which, if you like, you can download here.) Good if you plan on printing out all 326 pages of it, not so good if you are a blogger who wants to comment on a particular section and show your readers exactly what you're talking about.

So I've taken the copy published by NRO and parsed it into a format that allows for easy browsing online. . .

. . . If those who forged this "compromise" have their way, this bill will be voted on as early as Tuesday. That's a crazily short amount of time for Senators --- let alone the American public --- to review, understand, and have a voice on the substance of such a complex bill.

My hope, however, is that by presenting the bill in this form, I will help make the bill more accessible to all, and provide a central spot where commentary, criticism, and suggested improvements can be assembled. Who knows --- maybe our erstwhile leaders on Capitol Hill will take notice, and take some of our comments to heart.

Posted by Anne at 08:10 PM | Permalink

From the Center for Constitutional Rights:

Wilner v. NSA is a FOIA lawsuit filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of 16 attorneys who represent men detained at Guantanamo Bay. The lawsuit seeks records of any NSA surveillance of the plaintiffs under the warrantless wiretapping program initiated after 9/11.

The lawsuit was filed on May 17, 2007 in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit is against the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) and is demanding that the government comply with requests to turn over all records of NSA warrantless wiretapping of certain attorneys representing men detained at Guantánamo.

The plaintiffs - including CCR staff attorneys Gitanjali Gutierrez and Wells Dixon as well as law professors and partners at prominent international law firms - represent detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and may have been the subjects of the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program that began shortly after September 11, 2001.

Posted by Anne at 07:57 PM | Permalink

From News.com:

Some of the staunchest advocates for stricter copyright laws have formed a new alliance designed to pressure Congress into preserving stronger intellectual property rights.

The Copyright Alliance--which launched, complete with electric-green and white T-shirts displaying its logo at a morning Capitol Hill event here-- consists of 29 national organizations and companies that purport to represent 11 million workers in copyright-related industries. Those members include the Recording Industry Association of America, the Association of American Publishers, the Motion Picture Association of America, Microsoft, Viacom and Walt Disney.

Posted by Anne at 09:51 PM | Permalink

From the Mercury News:

A federal appeals court Wednesday said Google does not infringe the copyrights of adult entertainment company Perfect 10 by displaying small versions of its images in search results.

But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a lower court should reconsider whether Google helps violate copyrights by pointing people to sites that display unauthorized photos.

A U.S. District Court judge last year issued a preliminary injunction against Google, finding that Perfect 10 had submitted enough evidence to suggest the search engine directly violated copyrights by displaying the small image, known as a "thumbnail," even though the full-size image was on a third party's Web site.

But the judge said Google could not be held liable for the actions of a user who clicks on the thumbnail and is directed to a site that contains illegal copies of Perfect 10's photos.

Posted by Anne at 07:57 PM | Permalink

Like every other federal agency, the Government Printing Office has been operating under a continuing resolution which has held it to FY 2006 funding, and here we are just 5 months from FY 2008.

On May 1, 2007, Mary Alice Baish of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) testified in support of full funding for the Government Printing Office (GPO) before the House Committee on Appropriations for AALL and the Special Libraries Association (SLA).

Read Baish's full statement then contact your Members of Congress and insist they fully fund the GPO so that "it is able to fulfill its mission of disseminating the Federal government information of all three branches of Government."

A vote on this budget request is expected before Memorial Day, but it could come any time.

For more information, including a sample letter, see the GOVDOC-L message available at http://lists.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0705c&L=govdoc-l&T=0&P=2760.

Posted by Anne at 07:51 PM | Permalink

From Ma'an News:

The Israeli authorities have handed a warrant to the owner of the Al-Ansari Library on Saint George street, in Jerusalem, asking him to evacuate the building because it is to be demolished for the enlargement of the street and the construction of a train station.

The library comprises 45,000 books, which have been collected over 47 years.

It is one of the most important libraries in Jerusalem.

It has a variety of books on subjects such as ancient history and politics, as well as literary novels.

The library also contains all the periodicals and local newspapers that were issued in Jerusalem and the Arab world since 1967 and even before that.

Posted by Anne at 07:45 PM | Permalink

From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

The challenges underlying digital preservation led Congress in 2000 to appropriate $100 million for the Library of Congress to lead the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, or NDIIPP, a growing partnership of 67 organizations charged with preserving and making accessible “born digital” information for current and future generations.

Some of the crucial programs funded by NDIIPP include the archiving of important Web sites such as those covering federal elections and Hurricane Katrina; public health, geospatial and map data; public television and foreign news broadcasts; and other vital born-digital content.

Unfortunately, the program is threatened. In February, Congress passed and the president signed legislation rescinding $47 million of the program's approved funding. This jeopardizes an additional $37 million in matching, non-federal funds that partners would contribute as in-kind donations.

Posted by Anne at 07:44 PM | Permalink

From The Oregonian:

Jackson County voters rejected a new property tax that would have reopened their libraries, as voters in four other timber counties soundly turned back similar tax increases Tuesday.

The 15 library branches in Jackson County were closed last month to address a budget shortfall. The levy, defeated 59 percent to 41 percent, would have raised about $24.9 million over the next three years and had the libraries up and running again by next month.

Posted by Anne at 07:42 PM | Permalink

From Yahoo! News:

Diplomats from 11 countries agreed Tuesday to bypass legal obstacles and begin distributing electronic copies of documents from a secretive Nazi archive, making them available to Holocaust researchers for the first time in more than a half century.

The decision was meant to avoid further delays in allowing Holocaust survivors to find their own stories and family histories, and for historians to seek new insights into Europe's darkest period.

Posted by Anne at 07:40 PM | Permalink

Organization of American Historians May 2007 Newsletter column by Allen Weinstein:

In this issue I would like to report on some recent developments in policy and mood that offer encouragement to those concerned with maximizing timely access to public records. Along with the House of Representatives’ action earlier this year on a range of recently debated measures, there has surfaced a significant public and media dialogue on issues related to administering presidential records, which strikes me, at least, as fundamentally healthy.

Posted by Anne at 07:39 PM | Permalink

From the Washington Post:

U.S. broadband and VOIP providers on Monday hit a deadline to prove they could accommodate law-enforcement wiretaps.

The Federal Communications Commission in 2005 required broadband Internet service providers (ISPs) and VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) carriers that connect to the public telephone network to comply with a wiretap access law. Under the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), service providers have to prove they're equipped for investigators to carry out the equivalent of a traditional wiretap.

Posted by Anne at 07:37 PM | Permalink

From Computeract!ve:

Consumers should be allowed to copy music or movies they have bought for personal use within their own homes without being penalised, a report from the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee has said.

In the report published today it said this right should include the freedom to copy to portable gadgets such as mp3 players, and other devices owned or used regularly by the household as long as the copied material was not made available to others.

However, the Committee has also called for copyright protection on sound recordings to be extended to at least 70 years. It said this will enable artists and their families to benefit from any recordings they have made throughout their lifetime.

Currently copyright protection on sound recordings only lasts 50 years from date of release. However, the creators of works such as books and films enjoy copyright protection for their life, plus an additional 70 years.

Posted by Anne at 07:35 PM | Permalink

From Harper's Magazine:

In June, a case is slated to go to trial in Northern Virginia that will mark a first step in a plan to silence press coverage of essential national security issues. The plan was hatched by Alberto Gonzales and his deputy, Paul J. McNulty—the two figures at the center of a growing scandal over the politicization of the prosecutorial process. This may in fact be the most audacious act of political prosecution yet. But so far, it has gained little attention and is poorly understood.

In the summer of 2005, Alberto Gonzales paid a visit to British Attorney General Peter Goldsmith. A British civil servant who attended told me “it was quite amazing really. Gonzales was obsessed with the Official Secrets Act. In particular, he wanted to know exactly how it was used to block newspapers and broadcasters from running news stories derived from official secrets and how it could be used to criminalise persons who had no formal duty to maintain secrets. He saw it as a panacea for his problems: silence the press. Then you can torture and abuse prisoners and what you will—without fear of political repercussions. It was the easy route to dealing with the Guantánamo dilemma. Don't close down Guantánamo. Close down the press. We were appalled by it.” Appalled, he added, “but not surprised.”

Posted by Anne at 08:04 PM | Permalink

From the ALA Washington Office:

This Federal Libraries wiki has been established out of a growing need to track and share information across a broad coalition of organizations and individuals on threatened federal libraries.

This wiki is currently without content, but ALA Washington Office staff will be working with members to make it into a valued resource for information on this issue.

Posted by Anne at 08:02 PM | Permalink

From the BioMed Central blog:

Researchers in Germany can now go to a central DFG-supported website to find information on open access-related issues, ranging from publication strategies and legal aspects to the relevant policies of research institutions such as Max Planck Society and Helmholtz Association. The platform, jointly operated by four leading German universities, offers advice for authors, journal editors as well as for other stakeholders, and will be extended further to include services, such as discipline-specific information.

Posted by Anne at 08:01 PM | Permalink

From Yahoo! News:

As the Third Reich headed to defeat in World War II, the Germans burned millions of records to cover up history's worst genocide. But the fraction that survived was enough to make up the largest Nazi archive in existence.

This week, efforts to lift the 52-year-old blanket of secrecy from this historical treasure are likely to take a big step forward.

The 11-nation commission governing the International Tracing Service, an arm of the International Committee of the Red Cross, meets in Amsterdam Monday and Tuesday to decide when and how to make electronic copies of its files available to researchers.

Posted by Anne at 08:00 PM | Permalink

From WMUR New Hampshire:

In a mixed ruling Friday, the state Supreme Court upheld a strict timeline for government agencies to respond to requests for public records but denied attorney's fees to the group that sued for the documents.

The ruling came in a lawsuit by a nonprofit watchdog group over the state Department of Resources and Economic Development's proposal to open an all-terrain vehicle park in Berlin. Jericho Mountain State Park opened last summer. . .

. . . The high court agreed Friday that the law gives government agencies only five business days to release public records, explain why particular records are exempt from disclosure, or state in writing how long it will take to determine whether they are exempt.

"The time period for responding to a Right-to-Know request is absolute," Chief Justice John Broderick wrote for the court.

Posted by Anne at 07:58 PM | Permalink

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

The military in Fiji is moving to shut down access to anti-government weblogs after unsuccessful attempts to find those responsible for the sites.

Senior military commander Colonel Pita Driti has told Pacific Radio that access to the sites would be closed down this afternoon.

Posted by Anne at 07:57 PM | Permalink

From The Hill:

One special talent of Congress is to sternly slam the barn door closed after the animals have already wandered off. We can see this in the debate over whether to “open up” Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports to the public when there are already fee-based services selling the reports, and free but incomplete collections at various websites.

Frankly, it’s difficult to believe that Congress thinks it can control whether CRS reports are made available to the public over the Internet. A decade ago, CRS was among a dwindling handful of government entities that had yet to embrace the democratizing power of the Web. Now, in 2007, CRS’s practices are an inexplicable anomaly that grows more glaring with each passing year.

Posted by Anne at 07:56 PM | Permalink

From Secrecy News:

CRS director Daniel P. Mulhollan issued a lengthy internal memorandum last month in which he writes:

The reasons for limiting public distribution of our work can be summarized as follows. First, there is a danger that placing CRS in an intermediate position [between Congress and the public] would threaten the dialog on policy issues between Members and their constituents. . . Second, the current judicial and administrative perception of CRS as 'adjunct staff' of the Congress might be altered if CRS were seen as speaking directly to the public, putting at risk Speech or Debate Clause constitutional protections afforded the confidential work performed by this agency. . . And third, if CRS products were routinely disseminated broadly to the public, over time these products might come to be written with a large public audience in mind and would no longer be focused solely on congressional needs.

A copy of Director Mulhollan's seven page memorandum on "Access to CRS Reports," dated April 18, 2007, was obtained by Secrecy News.

Posted by Anne at 07:54 PM | Permalink

PC World:

A majority of Google shareholders today voted against an anti-censorship proposal that took aim at the way the search giant conducts its business in China and other countries that engage in active censorship.

So, what does it mean when a democratic vote calls for censorship? For those who criticize Google, who should they answer to? Their shareholders? The Chinese people? Human rights activists?

Posted by Anne at 08:43 PM | Permalink

League of Women Voters Press Release:

The League of Women Voters (LWV) is pleased to announce the release of Observing Your Government In Action: Protecting your Right to Know. This comprehensive resource guide, part of the League’s Citizen Transparency Initiative, provides useful best practices and tips for observing government activities and promoting transparency.

Posted by Anne at 08:40 PM | Permalink