"Scanning students'
fingers hits a nerve"

Statesman Journal
October 23, 2007

Lillie Coney
EPIC Associate Director

More EPIC in the News

EPIC Book Discussion

"The President, Privacy, and
Domestic Surveillance"
with Pulitzer Prize Winner
Charlie Savage

EPIC Urges Congress to Monitor Google-Doubleclick Review
In a letter (pdf) to the Congressional Committee that funds the Federal Trade Commission, EPIC urged oversight of the Commission's review of the pending Google-Doubleclick merger. In complaints (pdf) to the FTC, EPIC, the Center for Digital Democracy and US PIRG have detailed the reasons why the FTC needs to establish substantial privacy safeguards as a condition of the merger. If the FTC fails to do so, "we believe there should be a comprehensive investigation of the factors that led to the FTC's decision," EPIC said. See EPIC's page on Privacy? Proposed Google/DoubleClick Deal. (Oct. 26)

EPIC and Domestic Violence Groups Propose Privacy
Safeguards for DC Court Records
In comments to the District of Columbia Superior Court, EPIC's Domestic Violence and Privacy project and several DC domestic violence advocates recommended strong privacy protections for online court records. Domestic violence survivors face several risks from online court records, including data brokers who mine these records to resell and build profiles on individuals. The privacy groups recommend a policy that complies with the Violence Against Women Act and respects well-established privacy principles. For more information see EPIC's page on Domestic Violence and Privacy. (Oct. 19)

TSA Broadens Use of 'Backscatter X-Ray' Machines That Conduct 'Virtual Strip Searches'
The Transportation Security Administration is expanding the use of "backscatter X-ray" systems for passenger screening. The $100,000 refrigerator-size machines use "backscatter" technology, which bounces low-radiation X-rays off of a passenger to produce photo-quality images of travelers as if they were undressed. Computer processing partially obscures the image that is available to operators. TSA states that the agency will delete the raw images, but there is no law or regulation that prevents the agency from saving the original, detailed images. Until there is such a prohibition, EPIC believes funding for the program should be suspended. See EPIC's Spotlight on Surveillance and page on Backscatter X-ray. (Oct. 11)

Federal Court Temporarily Blocks New Government Rule on Employment Eligibility Verification
A federal judge today issued a temporary restraining order (pdf) to stop the Homeland Security agency from enforcing a new rule for its employment eligibility verification system (now called "E-Verify") requiring employers to fire employees if they are unable to resolve "no match" discrepancies within 90 days. The federal government is restricted from issuing 140,000 "no match" letters to employers, which would affect about 8 million workers nationwide. The federal government also is battling Illinois over E-Verify, filing suit (pdf) in a federal court seeking to block a new Illinois law that prohibits employers from using the system until the federal databases it uses can be certified as 99 percent accurate. EPIC has testified (pdf) about the myriad security and privacy problems inherent in the E-Verify system. See EPIC's SSN page and Spotlight on Surveillance on E-Verify. (Oct. 10)

EPIC Book Discussion with Charlie Savage: "The President, Privacy, and Domestic Surveillance"
EPIC hosted a discussion on Friday with Charlie Savage, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of "Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy," and Whitfield Diffie, EPIC Board Member and co-author of "Privacy on the Line, The Politics of Wiretapping and Encryption." The authors discussed the power of signing statements, the Bush administration's concerted effort to expand presidential power, and the future of privacy. See EPIC's page on the event. (Oct. 9)

Congress Opens Investigation Into Warrantless Surveillance
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has launched an investigation into the National Security Agency's domestic warrantless wiretapping program and the involvement of the telephone companies. "Congress has a duty to determine what occurred and also to examine the difficult position of the phone companies who may have been asked by the government to violate the privacy of their customers without the assurance of liability protections," said Committee Chairman John Dingell. Last year, EPIC joined almost 40 organizations in a statement (pdf) urging the Committee to investigate the program's possible violations of the privacy provisions of the Communications Act. See EPIC's Resources on Domestic Surveillance and FISA. (Oct. 4)

Washington DC Release of Privacy and Human Rights Report
On Friday, October 5, EPIC will release the new edition of "Privacy and Human Rights" at the National Press Club. The international survey of international privacy laws and developments tracks new challenges to privacy as well as public opposition to systems of surveillance. A few examples of emerging issues include: the biometric identification of individuals in Iraq, the proliferation of surveillance systems in China, and global investigations into the proposed Google-DoubleClick merger. Guest speakers at the event include UCLA Law Professor Jerry Kang and Sophie In’t Veld, a member of the European Parliament. (Oct. 4)

EPIC Welcomes New Advisory Board Members
Experts in communications policy, software architecture, voter identification, open government, and systems of surveillance have joined the EPIC Advisory Board. Annie Anton, David Banisar, Charles Firestone, Pablo Molina, Spencer Overton, Ray Ozzie, Jeffrey Rosen, and Latanya Sweeney were welcomed by EPIC Executive Director Marc Rotenberg and EPIC Board Chair Deborah Hurley. "These leaders are the architects of our common future, as they raise the questions and devise the solutions to the most compelling economic and social issues of our era," Hurley said. See EPIC's Advisory Board page. (Oct. 3)

Spotlight: Secure Flight Should Remain Grounded
EPIC's Spotlight on Surveillance project focuses on the Secure Flight traveler prescreening program. Introduced in 2004, the Secure Flight has been roundly criticized (pdf) and the system was suspended in 2006, because it contained massive security and privacy vulnerabilities. Though Secure Flight has been revamped, it remains fundamentally flawed. The core of the program rests on watch lists so full of errors that the Department of Justice's Inspector General (pdf) has suggested that there is "a deficiency in the integrity of watchlist information." EPIC's Spotlight on Surveillance on Secure Flight. (Sept. 28)

EPIC to Senate: FTC Must Impose Privacy Standards Before Approving Google-Doubleclick Merger
In testimony (pdf) before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the pending Google-Doubleclick merger, EPIC Executive Director Marc Rotenberg said that the Federal Trade Commission should establish privacy safeguards as a condition of the merger. EPIC filed a complaint before the Commission (pdf) in April regarding the merger, similar to other complaints filed by EPIC in the Doubleclick-Abacus merger (pdf), the Microsoft Passport matter (pdf), and Choicepoint. Since the filing of the EPIC complaint, competition authorities around the world have opened investigations. Press Packet. More information at Privacy ? Google-Doubleclick. (Sept. 27)

EPIC Releases Global Privacy Report
At a conference in Montreal with privacy commissioners, experts, and
advocates from around the world, EPIC presented the new edition of
"Privacy and Human Rights." The international survey of
international privacy laws and developments tracks new challenges to
privacy as well as the public opposition to systems of surveillance. The
Washington, DC release of Privacy and Human Rights will take place on
Friday, October 5 at the National Press Club. (Sept. 28)

U.S. Sues Illinois for Passing Law Demanding Accuracy in Employment Eligibility System
The federal government has filed suit (pdf) in a federal district court seeking to block a new Illinois law, claiming it preempts federal law. However, the state law does not ban outright employer use of the voluntary employment eligibility verification system called E-Verify. Instead the Illinois law prohibits employers from using the system until the federal databases it uses can be certified as 99 percent accurate. Federal reviews have deemed (pdf) the system "seriously flawed in content and accuracy"; for example, the Social Security Administration database is estimated (pdf) to include 18 million incorrect records. See EPIC's SSN page and Spotlight on Surveillance on E-Verify. (Sept. 25)

EPIC Sets Out Case Against Google-Doubleclick Merger
In a letter to the editor of the Financial Times, EPIC Executive Director Marc Rotenberg explained the basis for EPIC's opposition to the Google-Doubleclick merger, and noted EPIC's similar successful complaints against Microsoft Passport and databroker Choicepoint. The US Senate will hold a hearing this week on the proposed merger. See EPIC's page Privacy? Google-Doubleclick. (Sept. 24)

Previous Top News Archive

Privacy on the Line
Whitfield Diffie and Susan Landau

More EPIC Favorites

Secure Flight Should Remain Grounded Until Security and Privacy Problems Are Resolved

Landau, "A Gateway for Hackers: The Security Threat in the New Wiretapping Law"

Hot Topics

October 2007
Automated Targeting System
DOD Recruitment Database
Domestic Surveillance
FISA
Fusion Center
Google/DoubleClick
Iraqi Biometric Identification System
Medical Record Privacy
National ID
National Security Letters
Open Government
Phone Records
Social Networking Privacy
Voter Registration Databases

EPIC Docket Highlights

October 2007
EPIC FTC Complaint (Google)
Gonzales v. ACLU
EPIC v. DHS (passenger data)
EPIC v. DOJ (NSA surveillance)
EPIC v. DOJ (IOB reports)
EPIC v. DOD (TIA/fee waiver)
Illegal Sale of Phone Records

EPIC amicus briefs:
Crawford v. Marion County (Voter ID)
Doe v. Chao (Privacy Act)
BATF v. Chicago (FOIA)
Watchtower Bible v. Stratton (Anonymity)
Reno v. Condon (DPPA)
Smith v. Doe (Megans Law)
Gilmore v. Ashcroft (Secrecy)
ACLU v. DOD (Secrecy)
Gonzales v. Doe (Wiretap)
Hepting v. AT&T (Wiretap)
Hiibel v. Nevada (Anonymity)
IMS Health v. Ayotte
(Medical privacy)
Kehoe v. Fidelity Bank (Consumer privacy)
Kohler v. Englade (DNA)
New Jersey v. Reid
(ISP subscriber privacy)
Peterson v. NTIA (WHOIS data)
US v. Councilman (Wiretap)

Complete EPIC Docket