[govinfo] GovInfo News 8-24-2007
- From: "Patrice McDermott" <pmcdermott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "govinfo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <govinfo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "FOI-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <FOI-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:26:34 -0400
- Anonymous Lawmaker Helps to Build OpenCRS Database
- NY Lawmakers propose nuclear plant no-fly zones
- EPA CIO wants information to be more findable
- Digital standards come first - Before agencies digitize their records, LOC
group must develop standards
- Amended litigation rules force governments to rethink their electronic
document options
- Agencies must prepare for e-discovery, experts say
Patrice McDermott, Director
OpenTheGovernment.org
www.openthegovernment.org
202.332.OPEN (6736)
- ANONYMOUS LAWMAKER HELPS TO BUILD OPENCRS DATABASE
August 23, 2007
A member of Congress agreed to provide a running list of new CRS reports as
they are published to the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT). By
providing a running list of new reports, the lawmaker (who asked to remain
unnamed) makes it possible for OpenCRS's network of grassroots volunteers to
seek out the reports and upload them to the database. One of the biggest
obstacles for OpenCRS [and others who gather these reports and make them
available at no cost to the public] has always been that there was no way of
knowing exactly what reports had even been published. more [CDT] [Kudos to the
lawmaker. This is a high priority issue for the public access community and has
been met with stiff congressional resistance.]
Links: OpenCRS
LLRX article on CRS reports with links to other CRS reports
repositories
***
- Homeland Security to broaden sharing of visitor data
By Chris Strohm
August 23, 2007
The Homeland Security Department on Wednesday announced broad changes for using
a database that collects and stores information on foreign travelers to the
United States. In one of the biggest changes, the department plans to
regularly share information with U.S. intelligence agencies, department
officials said in an interview Thursday. "This is a first step to make it clear
that we do have the authority to conduct this type of sharing and to make the
public know that we do plan to do so in the future," one official said on
condition of anonymity. more [National Journal's Technology Daily via GovExec]
***
- LAWMAKERS PROPOSE NUCLEAR PLANT NO-FLY ZONES
By Jon Fox
August 22, 2007
Lawmakers representing New York have introduced a bill that would permit the
head of homeland security to declare no-fly zones around certain nuclear power
plants, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission sees little need for such a
measure. more [GovExec]
***
- US launches 'MySpace for spies'
By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
Published: August 21 2007
Spies and teenagers normally have little in common but that is about to change
as America's intelligence agencies prepare to launch "A-Space", an internal
communications tool modelled on the popular social networking sites, Facebook
and MySpace. Thomas Fingar, the deputy director of national intelligence
for analysis, believes the common workspace - a kind of "MySpace for analysts"
- will generate better analysis by breaking down firewalls across the
traditionally stove-piped intelligence community. He says the technology can
also help process increasing amounts of information where the number of
analysts is limited. Underscoring the power of social-networking sites, the
Central Intelligence Agency recently used Facebook to help boost applications
for the national clandestine service. The move sparked concerns that the CIA
was monitoring members, which the agency denies. more [FT.com Financial Times
via GovExec]
***
- EPA CIO WANTS BETTER SEARCH CAPABILITIES
BY Wade-Hahn Chan
Aug. 23, 2007
Although sharing data with the public is important, so is making that
information easy to find, said Molly O'Neill, chief information officer at the
Environmental Protection Agency. She said that nine times out of 10 she
can't find what she's looking for using either the agency's search engine or
Google. The growing number of agency documents that are converted into
digital formats and released openly on the Web, creating an ever-growing mound
of data for users to sift through, is the source of the problem, she said. more
[FCW]
***
- DIGITAL STANDARDS COME FIRST - Before agencies digitize their records, LOC
group must develop standards
BY Ben Bain
Aug. 20, 2007
There are no governmentwide standards for digitizing books, records, photos,
maps and films or other analog materials. But federal agencies are working
together to create standards for bringing millions of creative works into the
digital world. Representatives from the Library of Congress, the Government
Printing Office, the National Archives and Records Administration, the
Transportation Department and other organizations are establishing guidelines
for a massive digitization project. The Federal Digitization Standards
Working Group of the National Digital Strategy Advisory Board (NDSAB) is
developing governmentwide standards or guidelines that will help agencies
preserve documents and other works and share them. more [FCW]
***
- AMENDED LITIGATION RULES FORCE GOVERNMENTS TO RETHINK THEIR ELECTRONIC
DOCUMENT OPTIONS
BY John Moore
Aug. 13, 2007
Changes in federal rules that govern civil litigation have prompted state and
local agencies to explore better methods for producing electronic evidence in
the event of a legal action. The revised procedures apply to federal courts,
but legal experts say state and local agencies must comply with them if they
become litigants in a federal case. Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure that went into effect in December 2006 cast a wide net over the types
of data that an organization might be asked to produce in a lawsuit's discovery
phase. The new rules use the phrase "electronically stored information," a
catch-all term that covers word processing documents and materials such as
e-mail messages, instant messages and voice mail. Like it or not, to comply
with the new rules of e-discovery, agencies must prepare for locating
electronic information deemed relevant to a legal case. And agencies that wish
to improve their e-discovery capabilities must first take stock of what they
hold and where it is located. more [FCW]
SEE ALSO
- AGENCIES MUST PREPARE FOR E-DISCOVERY, EXPERTS SAY
BY Ben Bain
Aug. 15, 2007
As government communication becomes more electronic and subject to legal
review, the key to avoiding trouble is improving communication among agencies'
legal departments, information technology professionals and record managers,
said a group of government and private lawyers who gave a presentation about
e-discovery Aug. 14. In December 2006, a change to the Federal Rules of
Civil Procedure expanded the kinds of documents that an organization might be
asked to produce in a lawsuit's discovery phase to include electronically
stored information. That means agencies can expect to face consistent inquiries
from judges about e-mail messages, wikis and instant messages, and failure to
present them could have negative results. more [FCW]
Other related posts:
- » [govinfo] GovInfo News 8-24-2007
