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RAIN 0527 Weekend Update: GOVERNMENT (31)



ComputerWorld 5/03/02
California database deal leads to resignations, shredding allegations
By MARC L. SONGINI
Fallout over a controversial database deal involving Oracle Corp. and the state of California has resulted in the resignation of two officials and an order to a state agency involved in the deal not to shred any documents.
The governor's office also suspended the agency's director.
http://computerworld.com/databasetopics/data/story/0%2C10801%2C70766%2C00.html?nlid=DM



Wired 5/15/02
Kiwi Census Info Gets Webbed
By Kim Griggs
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Finding out just how many journalists with two kids live in this city's Johnsonville suburb just got easier.
Starting at the end of the month, New Zealand's statistics agency, Statistics New Zealand, will release data from the 2001 census via the Internet for no charge.
The New Zealand agency will allow users to trawl through more than 300 census databases to build results based on geographical area, ethnic group, age, gender, educational
qualifications, income and employment. Users will also be able to make comparisons with census information from 1996 and 1991.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,52487,00.html


Ananova 5/16/02
Austria moves towards paperless government
Austria is trying to create a paperless parliament by equipping all its MPs with fingerprint-coded laptops.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_589237.html?menu=news.technology



San Francisco Chronicle 5/19/02
Oracle contract raises issues of security, privacy Auditor, critics warn single
database puts state at risk
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/05/19/MN244573.DTL


The Spokesman-Review 5/20/02
Error costs man $14,000 in child support
State agency collects too much money, doesn't tell him after mistake discovered
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=052002&ID=s1151199&cat=section.spokane



New York Times 5/20/02
Foreigners Obtain Social Security ID With Fake Papers
By ROBERT PEAR
WASHINGTON, May 19 — Tens of thousands of foreigners are illegally obtaining Social Security numbers by using fake documents, a typical first step to identity theft and other crimes, but federal officials still have not found a way to search immigration records to prevent the practice, federal investigators say.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/20/national/20FRAU.html?pagewanted=print&position=top



St. Petersburg Times 5/20/02
Faking records not new at DCF
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/05/20/State/Faking_records_not_ne.shtml



FCW.com 5/20/02
Interior challenges critical trust report
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0520/web-int-05-20-02.asp



Newsbytes 5/20/02
Interior Department Sites Might Close Again - Update
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176673.html


Liverpool Echo 5/20/02
Crisis at records bureau
May 20 2002
by Mark Thomas, Liverpool Echo
THOUSANDS of files from Liverpool's new Criminal Records Bureau could be sent to India to be processed because of a mounting crisis at the centre.
The ECHO revealed last week that it was facing a backlog of over 27,000 applications from people seeking screening to clear them for sensitive jobs.
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100reg...page.cfm?objectid=11886325&method=full&siteid=50061


BusinessWeek 5/20/02
Patent Office: Paperless is capital idea
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is drowning in paper. But a proposal to eliminate certain paper record searches at its public facilities is meeting resistance.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/cnet/stories/9929415.htm

ZDNETNews 5/20/02
Patent Office tries to go paperless
By Margaret Kane
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is drowning in paper, but plans to convert some of its paperwork to electronic form are meeting with resistance.
At a hearing last week, the Patent Office heard comments about its proposal to eliminate certain paper record searches at its public facilities in Virginia.
The proposal wouldn't eliminate the original documents. Those are stored by the Patent Office for 10 years, and by the Federal Records Center for 40 more years, before being turned over to the National Archives. What may be eliminated, however, are paper copies of the records that are made to help patent researchers.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-918359.html


FCW.com 5/20/02
Certification deadline draws near
BY Christopher J. Dorobek
In an effort to improve the security of the commercial software it buys, the Defense
Department beginning in July will prohibit the military services from purchasing
information assurance products that have not met a third-party security evaluation.
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0520/news-cert-05-20-02.asp


Roll Call 5/20/02
Binder Lets Members Log Votes
Democratic Caucus Behind 'Vote Tracker'
By Amy Keller
House Democrats now have an easy way to keep track of their own voting records thanks to Democratic Caucus Chairman Martin Frost (Texas) and the Rules Committee.
Every Democratic House Member last week received a "Vote Tracker"binder, a book devised to help Members and their staffs keep track of their voting records.
http://www.rollcall.com/pages/news/00/2002/05/news0520g.html


FCW.com 5/21/02
Forman: E-gov good for privacy
BY William Matthews
The federal government could do a lot to promote personal privacy online if agencies
would work harder to eliminate duplication, said presidential e-government adviser Mark
Forman.
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0520/web-forman-05-21-02.asp


AP 5/21/02
Many new records laws balance free-speech, security concerns
Analysis
By The Associated Press
While some state leaders pushed to restrict public access to government records
after Sept. 11, many of the laws passed since the attacks have turned out to be
compromises supported by free-speech advocates.
"The security of people and buildings are a legitimate concern of government,"
said Mitchell Pearlman, executive director of Connecticut's Freedom of
Information Commission. "On the other hand, it's fundamental to a democratic
society to maximize the information people can get ahold of."
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=16282


Electronic Frontier Foundation 5/21/02
ICANN Director Seeks Court Order to Review Records
http://www.eff.org/Cases/Auerbach_v_ICANN/20020521_eff_icann_pr.html


Wichita Falls Times Record News 5/21/02
New system simplifies property records, maps
Daniel Bartel, , Times Record News
A new computer system will allow the Wichita County Appraisal District and the Wichita County Plat Office to work off the same digital page.
The new system takes old property records and maps and stores them on a centralized database that can be viewed by both the appraisal district and the tax office.
"It's for real estate and land people, and it going to make obtaining these records very accessible," County Judge Woody Gossom said, "It will be a great resource."
http://www.trnonline.com/stories/05212002/regional_news/31720.shtml



Dallas Morning News 5/22/02
Audit: $20,000 missing
Police-fire pension board fires examiner, disputes assertions
By DAVE MICHAELS
An employee of Dallas' police and fire pension system embezzled nearly $20,000 from
its operating budget, and the fund has lost a significant number of its records to theft or shredding, according to an audit obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
http://www.dallasnews.com/lat...ews/stories/052202dnmetembezzle.1f154.html


Baltimore Sun 5/22/02
Bryn Mawr to allow book on its history
Board of trustees relents after being petitioned by historians, other scholars
http://www.sunspot.net/news/yahoo/bal-md.brynmawr22may22.story?coll=bal%2Dnewsaol%2Dheadlines



The Journal-Inquirer 5/22/02
FOI Chief: Right-to-know law took step forward
By Keith M. Phaneuf
HARTFORD - Mitchell Pearlman, executive director of the state Freedom of Information Commission, considers it a good year whenever Connecticut's right-to-know law emerges unscathed from the General Assembly session.
But with changes made this year ex-panding access to autopsy reports and protective orders and clarifying the public status of teacher misconduct records, the freedom-of-information law actually took a step forward this spring, Pearlman said Wednesday.
http://www.zwire.com/site/ne...14236&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6


Palm Beach Post 5/22/02
Feeney campaign files on state computer
By S.V. Dáte, Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
TALLAHASSEE -- The state computer belonging to a top aide of House Speaker Tom Feeney held a list of prominent GOP donors as well as travel schedules for Feeney linked to his congressional campaign.
Among the documents: an itinerary that included a speech to the Republican GOPAC group, a schedule for visits with Washington lobbyists whose clients have since donated to Feeney's campaign and a list of names and phone numbers of dozens of the state's most influential fund-raisers for the Republican Party.
http://www.gopbi.com/partners/pbpost/epaper/editions/wednesday/news_c3be9130605c407e002d.html


New Haven Register 5/22/02
State probes time billings by attorney
Richard Weizel
STRATFORD — A hearing officer for the state's Freedom of Information Commission wants to see three years of time-sheet billings submitted to the town by Assistant Town Attorney Richard Buturla.
Town Attorney Kevin Kelly and attorneys for Lauren Anzalone, who filed an FOI
complaint last December seeking town attorney billings, said Tuesday the request was
made during a hearing this week by FOI hearing officer Clifton A. Leonhardt. They said
Leonhardt asked Anzalone's attorney, Tom Thornberry, to subpoena the documents.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=4203547&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=7568&rfi=6



Houston Chronicle 5/23/02
New service lets clerk put court orders online
By JO ANN ZUÑIGA
A new computer service went online Wednesday that allows law firms and the public to retrieve Harris County civil district court orders without having to trek downtown.
Harris County District Clerk Charles Bacarisse said "e-Docs" is now available for signed court orders, dated 1998 through 2002, at www.hcdistrictclerk.com.
"In the long run, this will be more efficient and cost-effective," Bacarisse said.
About 5 million pages or 460,000 documents are now available online.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.hts/metropolitan/1422925



East Side Journal 5/23/02
Redmond council weighs e-mail policy
by Diana Hefley
REDMOND -- City Council members Tuesday failed to agree on how to keep email
for public disclosure and are expected to debate the issue again at their next
meeting.
Councilmen Jim Robinson, Tom Paine and Greg Misenar supported a staff recommendation to use their city-issued e-mail accounts for city business only.
Under this policy, e-mail messages would be archived automatically, making it easier for the city to turn over documents requested by the public.
http://www.eastsidejournal.com/sited/story/html/93284



Daytona Beach News-Journal 5/23/02
Clerks frenzied by unsettled records laws
By MATT GRIMISON
DELAND -- Brian Wood wades through public records for a living.
The president of East Florida Title, Wood searches hundreds of documents each day
researching property histories, judgments and other reports for his real estate clients.
But several little-noticed bills passed by the state Legislature this year have made it much harder for him -- or anyone else -- to get information previously available under the state's open records laws.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/2002/May/23/AREA7.htm



Washington Post 5/23/02
Police Records For Anyone's Viewing Pleasure
By Leslie Walker
I should have known the Internet would spawn a RapSheets.com, but I confess it took me a while to grasp the scary part of putting digital dossiers online.
A few weeks ago, RapSheets.com began selling national criminal background checks for
$20 to $30 a pop. The tiny Tennessee firm claims its new criminal directory is the most
comprehensive on the Internet, encompassing 50 million criminal records in 36 states (it includes Virginia but not Maryland or the District).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/technology/columns/dotcom/A59991-2002May22.html


Wired 5/23/02
Act Would OK Snail Mail Searches
By Declan McCullagh
WASHINGTON -- Just a few years ago, the U.S. Postal Service got savaged by privacy advocates after suggesting that private mailbox services were somehow objectionable.
Since services like Mailboxes Etc. could encourage fraud, the post office declared, businesses must limit anonymity by demanding photo ID from all customers.
http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,52739,00.html



The Montana Standard 5/24/02
Document availability key to case of closures
By ERICKA SCHENCK SMITH
Lee State Bureau
HELENA – A Billings mother might have been able to convince the school board not to close her son’s school if she and other parents had been able to get information they had sought about the closures, her attorney argued before the Montana Supreme Court Tuesday.
http://www.montanaforum.com/rednews/2002/05/22/build/accountability/closuresupco2.php?nnn=5



The News-Standard 5/24/02
Hackers access information on California state employees
By SAM STANTON, SACRAMENTO BEE
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (SMW) - Hackers gained access to the California state government's
computer systems in April and sensitive financial and personal information about as many as 265,000 state workers, officials said Friday.
The electronic assault on payroll and other records was discovered by the Sacramento Valley Hi Tech Task Force, which determined that none of the information has been used illegally so far.
http://24hour.newsobserver.com/24hour/nation/story/413272p-3291393c.html



The Montana Standard 5/24/02
States shut off some information to public
By ROBERT TANNER
Associated Press
While state leaders pushed to restrict public access to government records after Sept. 11, many of the open government laws passed since the attacks have turned out to be compromises with freespeech advocates.
“The security of people and buildings are a legitimate concern of government,” said Mitchell Pearlman, executive director of Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Commission. “On the other hand, it’s fundamental to a democratic society to maximize
the information people can get ahold of.”
http://www.montanaforum.com/rednews/2002/05/22/build/accountability/states-access.php?nnn=5



The Age 5/24/02
Waterfront documents a step closer
By Ian Munro
The Federal Government has suffered a big setback in its fight to keep secret documents linked to its industrial relations war on the waterfront.
The High Court yesterday overturned the government's bid to put sensitive consultants' reports on waterfront reform out of reach of freedom-of-information legislation.


Peter A. Kurilecz CRM, CA
pakurilecz@aol.com
Richmond, Va