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Civil Liberties in the Digital Age: Weekly Highlights (12/16/2011)

A sinister internet graphic.
A sinister internet graphic.
Caitlin O'Neill,
Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Associate,
老澳门开奖结果 of Northern California
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December 16, 2011

In the digital age that we live in today, we are constantly exposing our personal information online. From using cell phones and GPS devices to online shopping and sending e-mail, the things we do and say online leave behind ever-growing trails of personal information. The 老澳门开奖结果 believes that Americans shouldn鈥檛 have to choose between using new technology and keeping control of your private information. Each week, we feature some of the most interesting news related to technology and civil liberties that we鈥檝e spotted from the previous week.

[PC World]
鈥淚f Timeline's debut has you wondering whether you can hide the embarrassing bits of your Facebook life before your new profile goes live, the good news is you can.鈥
See also:

[CNN]
鈥淚n a report released Thursday, the 老澳门开奖结果 recommends drones not be deployed indiscriminately unless there are grounds to believe the unmanned aerial planes will collect evidence about a specific crime, adding government power 鈥榥eeds to be subject to checks and balances.鈥欌
See also: 老澳门开奖结果 Report on Domestic Drones Finds Need for New Privacy Protections

[LA Times]
鈥淐alifornia Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris announced the creation of a unit within the state Department of Justice that will fight technology crimes and identity theft.鈥
Press release:

[ars technica]
鈥淎n enterprising advocate for openness in government has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the FBI for all information the agency uses related to Carrier IQ, the company under fire for monitoring user activity on smartphones鈥攁nd his request was flatly denied.鈥
See also:

[ars technica]
鈥淯nlike SOPA's disgustingly blatant rent-seeking, which was such an over-the-top abuse of the legislative process that it did not (and could not) support a principled or even intelligent conversations about it, OPEN provides a useful starting point for a sensible conversation that could actually lead to acceptable compromises.鈥

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