Archive for the ‘Access to Information’ Category

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Access to Information: California County Hoarding Map Data Ordered to Pay $500,000

Friday, October 16th, 2009

From the Article:

A California county’s three-year battle to prevent a nonprofit group from obtaining public mapping data has ended disastrously for the county after it was ordered by a court to pay the group $500,000 in legal costs.

Last February, Santa Clara County, the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, was ordered to hand over the public records to the California First Amendment Coalition for a minimal duplication fee after initially trying to charge $250,000 for the data and then appealing to the federal government to designate the data a national security secret that couldn’t be released. This week the county paid out to the coalition twice the amount in legal fees that it had once hoped to rake in as profit for the data.

[Snip]

In 2006, the coalition used the state’s sunshine law to ask for a digital, data-rich map compiled by the county. Called a geographic information system, or GIS, parcel basemap database, the map shows the boundaries of 450,000 real estate parcels in Silicon Valley, along with overlaid aerial photos, street addresses and other data.

The county demanded $250,000 for the information, along with a signed nondisclosure agreement asserting that the coalition wouldn’t redistribute it, even though other California counties provide the same data for free or charge a minimal duplication fee.

Source: Wired

Posted in Access to Information, Geographic, Government Documents and Political Information | No Comments »

A Connecticut Public Library Being Urged Not to Carry Book

Friday, October 16th, 2009

From the Article:

Friends and former neighbors of Dr. William Petit are urging the Cheshire [CT] Public Library to not carry a new book about the killings of his wife and two daughters, but library officials say it will be on the shelves.

Former neighbor and friend Christina Gilleylen says 30 people have signed a petition urging the library not to carry the book about the 2007 slayings in town, titled “In the Middle of the Night: The Shocking True Story of a Family Killed in Cold Blood” by Brian McDonald.

Head Librarian Romona Harten says the library hasn’t received the book yet, but it will be on the shelves because of free speech protections.

Cheshire Public Library Web Site and Facebook Page

Source: AP (via Hartford Courant)

Posted in Access to Information, Libraries and Librarianship | No Comments »

Metadata Ethics Opinions Around the U.S.

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Metadata Ethics Opinions Around the U.S.

Metadata is loosely defined as “data about data.” More specifically, the term refers to the embedded stratum of data in electronics file that may include such information as who authored a document, when it was created, what software was used, any comments embedded within the content, and even a record of changes made to the document.

While metadata is often harmless, it can potentially include sensitive, confidential, or privileged information. As such, it presents a serious concern for attorneys charged with maintaining confidentiality — both their own and their clients. Professional responsibility committees at several bar associations around the country have weighed in on attorneys’ ethical responsibilities regarding metadata, but there is no clear consensus on the major metadata issues. To help track current views on metadata and ethics, we’ve assembled the following chart.

Source: American Bar Association Legal Technology Resource Center

Posted in Cataloging and Metadata, Legal, Privacy, Source File | No Comments »

To Kill a Mockingbird Challenged in Toronto, Ontario (Updated 10/15)

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Word in this very brief report that a parent has asked the Toronto District School Board to remove To Kill a Mockingbird from the library at the Malvern Collegiate Institute (a public secondary school).

The book was published in 1960. The main plot involves a white lawyer defending a black man accused of rape in a fictional Alabama town.

Racial injustice is a major theme in the novel and racial epithets are used in the text.

The Toronto District School Board meeting is Wednesday night.

Source: CityNews

UPDATE (10/15) From The Globe and Mail

An anticipated debate over a parent’s right to object to certain books their children study at Toronto public schools didn’t take place last night, leaving one trustee claiming the others deliberately shut him out of the meeting.

Trustee Josh Matlow had hoped to object to a policy that allows parents to ask a principal to excuse their child from reading any particular book. It’s an informal process that made headlines earlier this school year over a Toronto parent’s suggestion that Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird be replaced because of its language.

Mr. Matlow believes the board should define what “reasonable grounds” it requires before agreeing a student need not study a book, saying it borders on being too “politically correct.” He added a “discussion” on the matter as a last-minute item on the agenda, but Trustee Cathy Dandy adjourned the meeting when he was out of the room. Mr. Matlow suggested she did so deliberately.

Posted in Access to Information, Censorship, Libraries and Librarianship | No Comments »

Access to Government Information: Public Access to DTRA (Defense Threat Reduction Agency) Documents Restored

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

From a Secrecy News Post by Steven Aftergood:

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) recently deleted the publications web page for its Advanced Systems and Concepts Office, inhibiting broad public access to many of the agency’s arms control and proliferation-related studies. But most of the affected DTRA publications have been recovered and reposted in a new DTRA archive on the Federation of American Scientists website.

[Snip]

A 2008 version of the now-deleted DTRA page is available via the Internet Archive [Wayback Machine].

[Snip]

Whatever DTRA’s motivation may have been, impeding public access to archived public records on government websites is an unwholesome act. So we have taken steps to reverse it. See our compilation of selected DTRA reports.

More in the Complete Blog Post

Source: Secrecy News

Posted in Access to Information, Government Documents and Political Information | No Comments »

Vermont: Librarians Say Leahy Let Them Down on Patriot Act

Monday, October 12th, 2009

From the Article:

Sen. Patrick Leahy is finding himself at odds with privacy-protecting librarians in the state — a group that usually has praise for Vermont’s senior U.S. Senator and has often worked with him in the past.

Last week Leahy’s Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve an extension of pieces of the USA Patriot Act, major parts of which have long been criticized by those librarians and others interested in protecting civil liberties, including in some cases by Leahy himself.

[Snip]

“I am feeling very disappointed,” said University of Vermont Research Librarian Trina Magi, one of the most active librarians in Vermont on privacy issues. “I don’t think the bill voted out of the Judiciary Committee comes close to meeting the hopes we had.”

[Snip]

“We are very confident in Sen. Leahy, we know he shares our concerns. I am confident he was trying to get the best legislation he could,” said John Payne, director of library and information services at St. Michael’s College and president of the Vermont Library Association. But, he added, the bill as it came out of the Senate Judiciary Committee “was very watered down.”

The chairwoman of the library association’s committee dealing with intellectual freedom, Gail Weymouth, a Killington librarian, said that the Judiciary Committee bill doesn’t offer very many additional protections for those concerned that the Patriot Act has resulted in a loss of privacy and individual rights – particularly given the reports showing how the provisions have been used.

“We appreciate what Sen. Leahy has tried to do, but it is very disturbing that the Judiciary Committee could just overlook what has been said,” said Weymouth.

“It is being so abused that it is very disturbing,” she said.

Much More in the Complete Article Including Comments from Sen. Leahy

Source: Time Argus

Posted in Privacy | No Comments »

Considerations Around Wireless Net Neutrality: The Few Vs. the Many

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Considerations Around Wireless Net Neutrality: The Few Vs. the Many

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski laid out his priorities for the wireless industry at the CTIA IT event last Wednesday. He wants to:

* Bring more spectrum to market to handle rapidly increasing demand for wireless data
* Remove red tape to allow wireless carriers to expand networks faster
* Conduct the regulatory process at the FCC more openly and on a fact-based, data-driven basis
* Codify and enforce net neutrality with special considerations to wireless

I am sure the wireless industry is welcoming the first three priorities of the new Chairman. They represent a welcome and overdue recognition of the situation we are in – more than 270 million American wireless subscribers and more than 42 million of them using smartphones to access the Internet. While the discussion continues about the need for the codification of net neutrality for wireless, it is very encouraging that Chairman Genachowski has recognized that wireless networks deserve special consideration.

Source: Nielsen Wire

See previous:
+ FCC to Propose ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules

Posted in Access to Information, Search News, Source File, Technology and Internet, Web 2.0, Wireless Web and Search | No Comments »

New DoD Website Fosters Secret Science

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Steven Aftergood Writes on Secrecy News

The Pentagon’s Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) last month announced the creation of a new password-protected portal where authorized users may gain access to restricted scientific and engineering publications.

“DTIC Online Access Controlled… provides a gateway to Department of Defense unclassified, controlled science and technology (S&T) and research and engineering (R&E) information,” according to a September 21, 2009 news release (pdf). “As defense S&T information advances, so does the unique community to which it belongs,” said DTIC Administrator R. Paul Ryan.

Much More in the Complete Artcile

Source: Secrecy News

Posted in Access to Information, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Government Documents and Political Information | No Comments »

Cancer Data? Sorry, Can’t Have It

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Cancer Data? Sorry, Can’t Have It

Not long ago, I asked a respected cancer researcher if he could send me raw data from a trial he had recently published. He refused. Sharing data would make the study team members “uncomfortable,” he said, as I might use this to “cast doubt” on their results.

I’d heard this before: as a statistician who designs and analyzes cancer studies, I regularly ask other researchers to provide additional information or raw data. Sometimes I want to use the data to test out a new idea or method of statistical analysis. And knowing exactly what happened in past studies can help me design better research for the future. Occasionally, however, there are statistical analyses I could run that might make an immediate and important impact on the lives of cancer patients.
…
Given the enormous physical, emotional and financial toll of cancer, one might expect researchers to promote the free and open exchange of information. The patients who volunteer for cancer trials often suffer through painful procedures and harsh experimental treatments in the hope of hastening a cure. The data they provide ought to belong to all of us. Yet cancer researchers typically treat it as their personal property.

Source: New York Times

Posted in Access to Information, Information Policy, Science, Search News, Statistics | No Comments »

State Initiatives Regarding Electronic or Open-Source Textbooks

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

State Initiatives Regarding Electronic or Open-Source Textbooks (PDF; 560 KB)

A growing number of states are using legislation as a means of enabling the use of electronic or open-source textbooks. This ECS StateNote examines the differences between e-textbooks and open-source textbooks and takes a look at related action in several states.

See also: Exemplary State Online Resources for Students, Career Explorers and Adult Learners (PDF; 60 KB)

Source: Education Commission of the States

Posted in Access to Information, E-books, Education, Information Policy, Search News | No Comments »

Critics: National Archives Lax in Records Management Enforcement

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

From the Article by Aliya Sternstein:

The National Archives and Records Administration on Oct. 2 issued new regulations that provide more information on managing electronic records. The guidance also tries to make the somewhat arcane subject matter more comprehensible through a question-and-answer format.

But some specialists and open government advocates said the problems that NARA and other agencies experience with storing and retrieving a growing number of e-records are due to a lack of policing, not an absence of rules. One measure that would go a long way toward safeguarding valuable information is baking automated archiving filters into the design of a system at inception, rather than later on in the system’s life cycle.

Access the New Regulations (58 pages; PDF)

Source: nextgov

Posted in Access to Information, Archives and Special Collections | No Comments »

Federal Register XML Rormat Will Increase Usability, Accessibility and Save Money

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

From the Text Article:

Note: In addition to the text, this article includes a 6.5 minutes audio interview with Carl Malamund. You can listen online or download the mp3 file.

The Federal Register is now available in XML, which many analysts say will make it much easier to use.

Carl Malamund is a technologist, author, and an advocate of making public data publicly available. He runs a non-profit foundation called

On Tuesday’s Daily Debrief, he talked more about the fact that the new XML format saves the federal government money and improves the public’s access to government data.

“by making the data available in bulk, it means we’re going to get a lot of grad students and small businesses and others working with the Federal Register and all our other legal materials and making them easier to use.”

This, he added, is good for government, because it will lead to more efficiency and will get the information out to a wider audience.

Source: Federal News Radio
Hat Tip: P.W.

See Also: Federal Register User? Check Out GovPulse.us, An Award Winning App

For much of its existence the Federal Register has had no easily accessible form. govpulse seeks to change this and enable you to respond to your government. We give you a way to browse the Register (from 1994 on) and use filters to decide what is important to you. And then act on it.

See Also: For More About Carl Malamund and Some of the Resources Public.Resource.org Provides See This Post From September 29th

Posted in Access to Information, Government Documents and Political Information, Reference Tools, Technology and Internet | No Comments »

FBI Investigated Coder for Liberating Paywalled Court Records

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

From the Article:

When 22-year-old programmer Aaron Swartz decided last fall to help an open-government activist amass a public and free copy of millions of federal court records, he did not expect he’d end up with an FBI agent trying to stake out his house.

But that’s what happened, as Swartz found out this week when he got his FBI file through a Freedom of Information Act request. A partially-redacted FBI report shows the feds mounted a serious investigation of Swartz for helping put public documents onto the public web.

The FBI ran Swartz through a full range of government databases starting in February, and drove by his home, after the U.S. court system told the feds he’d pilfered approximately 18 million pages of documents worth $1.5 million dollars. That’s how much the public records would have cost through the federal judiciary’s pay-walled PACER record system, which charges eight cents a page for most legal filings.

The article continues with details about how Swartz was able to access the PACER documents.

[Snip]

He [Swartz] donated the 19,856,160 pages to public.resource.org, an open government initiative spearheaded by Carl Malamud as part of a broader project to make public as many government databases as Malamud can find. It was Malamud who previously shamed the SEC into putting all its EDGAR filings online in the ’90s, and he used $600,000 in donations to buy 50 years of documents from the nation’s appeals court, which he promptly put on the internet for anyone to download in bulk.

[Snip]

PACER records still cost eight cents a page, but now PACER users running the Firefox browser can donate their downloads to the public domain with a simple plug-in called RECAP.

Use of the plug-in is not likely to start an investigation of you.

But then again, who knows.

Source: Wired (via /.)

See Also: Our First Post about RECAP (8/14/2009)
We also mention OpenJurist (free) and OpenRegs (Federal Regulations). Both of these services are also free.

Posted in Access to Information, Government Documents and Political Information, Legal | No Comments »

News from the Open Book Alliance: Libraries, Publishers and Leading Advocates Call for Open, Transparent Settlement Process in Google Book Search Case

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

From the News Release:

Dozens of leading academic, library, consumer advocacy, organized labor and publishing organizations joined the Open Book Alliance today in calling on Google and its litigation partners to create an open and transparent process to negotiate a settlement in the Google Book Search case. The parties published an open letter to Google, the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, demanding that they include key stakeholders to represent the broad range of public interests in the mass digitization of books. Google and its partners abandoned a previous settlement proposed in the case after the U.S. Department of Justice and others criticized the deal and recommended that the court reject it, but Google and the plaintiff publishers continue to negotiate behind closed doors on a revised settlement proposal.

[Snip]

Joining the Open Book Alliance in calling on Google and its partners to open the process in service of the public interest are leading library associations such as the New York Library Association, the Ohio Library Council, the New Jersey Library Association, and the Special Libraries Association…

You can read the full text of the letter here. (2 pages; PDF)

Source: Open Book Alliance (via PR Newswire)

UPDATE: We’ve learned the the Open Book Alliance letter wasn’t the only letter sent today.

From an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Blog Post:

Today EFF along with the ACLU and the privacy authors and publishers they represent, the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries and the Association of College and Research Libraries, CDT, EPIC, SFLC, Professor James Grimmelman sent a joint letter to Google urging it to include privacy protections along with its reconsidered Google Book Search Settlement.

Access the complete letter here (2 pages; PDF)

Posted in Digitization Projects, Information Industry, Intellectual Property, Legal, Privacy | No Comments »

Phishing Attack! Gmail, Yahoo Mail Join Hotmail; Passwords Exposed

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

From the Computerworld Article:

Google’s Gmail and Yahoo’s Mail were also targeted by a large-scale phishing attack, perhaps the same one that harvested at least 10,000 passwords from Microsoft’s Windows Live Hotmail, according to a report by the BBC.

Microsoft, for its part, said late yesterday that it had blocked all hijacked Hotmail accounts, and offered tools to help users who had lost control of their e-mail.

[Snip]

The BBC also said it has seen a list of some 20,000 hijacked e-mail accounts; the list included accounts from Gmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL, Comcast and EarthLink. The latter two are major U.S. Internet service providers.

See Also: Read the Complete BBC Article Mentioned in the Story

See Also: Thousands of Hotmail passwords leaked online (via neowin.net)

Posted in Information Industry, Privacy, Technology and Internet | No Comments »

Interview — Judy Blume: “I Was Margaret”

Monday, October 5th, 2009

Judy Blume: “I Was Margaret”

Over her 40-year career, Judy Blume may have done more for sex education than the last 10 surgeons general. Though Blume wrote her best-loved novels in the 1970s, they endure today because they deal frankly and compassionately with the fears, relationships, and sexuality of young people…. Over four decades, Blume has found herself drafted as a defender of First Amendment rights and as a confidante to youth all over the world.

Source: doubleX (Slate)

See Also: More Judy Blume

+ Watch Judy Blume’s Presentation at the National Book Festival (September 26, 2009)

+ Listen to a Recent Podcast With Judy Blume
Matt Raymond from the Library of Congress chats with Judy. It’s a 25 minute interview.

Posted in Censorship, Search News | No Comments »

Is that Really Factual?: Focus on Healthcare Reform—Don’t Believe Everything You Read

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

In her latest Newslink Spotlight, Information Today’s NewsBreaks Editor, Paula Hane, takes a look at several resources that can help you verify and “fact check” stories being discussed or debated in the news. Hane’s is the healthcare debate in this article.

The first service mentioned is FactCheck.org, a non-partisan and non-profit site/service from the University of Pennsylvania where journalists and others do the fact checking.

Paula puts it this way:

As a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters, FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. It monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Its goals are to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship and to increase public knowledge and understanding. It’s definitely a good site to know about when the fur is flying over important issues such as healthcare reform.

The article goes on to discuss a similar service from the St. Petersburg Times named PoliFact

Reporters and editors from the Times fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists, and interest groups and rate them on a Truth-O-Meter.

The article then provides several sites that focus specifically on the healthcare debate including:

Health Care for America Now (HCAN), a grass roots effort and Fix Health Care Policy from the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation

The article concludes by offering even more links and resources.

Much Much More in the Complete Article

Access FactCheck.org

Access Access PoliFact.org

Access HealthCareNow

Access FixHealth Care Policy

Source: Information Today

Posted in Access to Information, Information Literacy, Information Seeking | No Comments »

The e-text debate: Grand Valley State U. students, faculty weigh in

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

From the Article:

Digital books also cannot be re-sold once users are through reading them. Another concern is the Kindle is the only device with a keyboard for taking in-text notes.

In addition to online reading devices, some textbooks are available for purchase as computer downloads. Tools such as Blackboard and e-reserve also allow professors to post readings online.

However, some GVSU professors feel online textbooks and reading devices may not be the best choice for academic reading.

“I do not think they are helpful for most classes,” Biology Professor Robert Hollister said of online textbooks. “Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I find it tiring to read a computer screen … The more interactive, in my opinion, the more useful on the computer. Simply reading a textbook online seems silly and a waste of potential.”

Philosophy professor Kelly Parker said many students still choose to print out online readings, which could be as expensive and resource-consuming as a traditional textbook.

“I mark up the pages, write notes in the margins (and) slap sticky notes on (my books),” Parker said. “The printed page and my pencil are part of my mind when I’m reading these things.”

But he added he would be interested in reading magazines, newspapers and some reference texts on a portable device.

[Snip]

But others, such as geography and planning professor Elena Lioubimtseva, have fully embraced online textbooks and materials.
(more…)

Posted in Access to Information, E-books, Technology and Internet | No Comments »

Access to Information and Online Databases: Limiting Access to Court Records in Wisconsin

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

From the Article:

Wisconsin’s online court records database, known as CCAP, was created so the public could easily search for that information. However, state Representative Marlin Schneider (D-Wisconsin Rapids) says people are being punished when cases that are dismissed remain in the system. He says potential employers or landlords can see that information, and may use it against an applicant.

The practice is against the law. However, Schneider says he’s heard from multiple people who have faced such discrimination because charges remain on CCAP for several years, even if they’re dismissed.

Schneider is sponsoring a bill that would restrict free CCAP access to state agencies, as well as legal, law enforcement and media professionals. The public could still view cases where there was a conviction, after they register and pay a fee.

Note: The text report also includes a 3 minute audio report (mp3) about the story. Look for the link at the bottom of the page.

Access the CCAP Database

Source: Wisconsin Radio Network

Posted in Access to Information, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Government Documents and Political Information, Legal | No Comments »

New From the Berkman Center and ONI: Intenet Filtering in Sub-Saharan Africa

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

From the Announcement:

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society is pleased to share today new work from the OpenNet Initiative (ONI).

The partnership has released four studies of Internet filtering in Sub-Saharan Africa: updated reports on Ethiopia and Zimbabwe and new reports on Uganda and Nigeria, where ONI tested for the first time in 2008 and 2009.

All four profiles can be accessed at: http://opennet.net/research/regions/ssafrica

Many governments across Sub-Saharan Africa view the Internet as a key tool for development and are developing ICT policies accordingly. While the region has a history of media abuses and restrictions on freedom of the press, ONI testing found evidence of consistent filtering in only one of the countries tested: Ethiopia. Filtering in Ethiopia was found to be substantial in regard to both political and conflict/security sites. Ethiopian authorities have also blocked two major blogging platforms, Blogger and Nazret, suggesting political bloggers are the prime targets of censure.

Sources: Berkman Center, OpenNet Initiative

See Also: Other Reports via OpenNet Home Page
+ Country and Regional Profiles

+ ONI Presents Social Media Filtering Maps

The summer of 2009 was a hectic one for online social media: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and a bevy of other sites fell under the censors’ axe in China and Iran as political events — namely the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and the Iranian presidential election — shook both countries. Based on testing conducted in 2008-2009, the OpenNet Initiative has compiled data on the most frequently blocked social media sites around the world.

Posted in Access to Information, Technology and Internet | No Comments »

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