PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

News, Developments, and Insights

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The Confirmation Hearings: A Meaningless Ritual

Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings

There is a lot of discussion about the lack of meaningful revelations in the Alito confirmation hearings. The Roberts confirmation hearings were also devoid of much meaningful substance as well. Basically, the nominee must say that he’ll have an open mind, that he will decide cases according to the “rule of law,” that he has respect for precedent, and […]

Cell Phone Records For Sale

Cell Phone Records

The Chicago Sun Times reports: The Chicago Police Department is warning officers their cell phone records are available to anyone — for a price. Dozens of online services are selling lists of cell phone calls, raising security concerns among law enforcement and privacy experts. . . . To test the service, the FBI paid Locatecell.com $160 to […]

Should J. Edgar Hoover’s Name Be Removed From the FBI Building?

FBI Building J Edgar Hoover

A recent article in the LA Times discusses the ongoing debate about whether to remove J. Edgar Hoover’s name from the FBI building. J. Edgar Hoover was the head of the FBI from 1924, its early days before it was even called the FBI (it used to be called the Bureau of Investigation), until his death in […]

Whistleblowing, Journalist Privilege, and NSA Surveillance

Whistleblowing NSA

The DOJ has launched a probe into the leaking of the NSA surveillance program to the New York Times: “The leaking of classified information is a serious issue. The fact is that al-Qaida’s playbook is not printed on Page One and when America’s is, it has serious ramifications,” Duffy told reporters in Crawford, Texas, where Bush was […]

Judge Posner’s Troubling Call for Massive Surveillance

Government Surveillance Richard Posner

Judge Richard Posner has written an op-ed in the Washington Post today where he calls for a massive program of surveillance of U.S. citizens — their email, documents, phone conversations, nearly everything they say or do — regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing or not. Posner’s argument is quite startling and troublesome. Posner […]

Hypothetical: What If President Bush Were Correct About His Surveillance Powers?

Surveillance

There’s been some terrific analysis in the blogosphere about whether President Bush is correct that he had the power to authorize warrantless surveillance. (See here and here for a roundup of posts.) The arguments thus far focus on what the President has already done, but the President has stated that he will continue the warrantless surveillance [link no longer available] […]

Should Divorce Records Be Public or Private?

Privacy of Divorce Records

A USA Today story raises the issue about whether divorce records should be public or private. The article has a good discussion of the law of divorce record confidentiality, and it has examples of several cases where reporters obtained divorce records of celebrities and politicians in order to glean juicy bits of gossip. One of the most […]