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The deadline for Real ID compliance has gone by, and not a single state is fully compliant. A number have said flatly that they won't implement it, but DHS gave them "extensions" anyway. It's starting to look as if passive resistance has beaten one draconian piece of federal legislation. I'm still surprised that Bush isn't denouncing the state legislatures for allegedly helping terrorists.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Oregon's secret laws
The state of Oregon is going after websites that post its laws, claiming copyright violation. Justia.com is one of the targets of this legal harassment. The Oregon government apparently likes to squeeze money out of the population by charging them to find out what is legal and illegal.
What burns me up is that the State of Oregon would choose to assert its rather fanciful copyright claim for the purpose of making public access to the authoritative version of its laws more, rather than less, difficult.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
One more warranty scam
These have gotten routine:
Honda Notification
Dealer Services
100 Mall Parkway
St. Louis, MO 63385
...
Our records indicate that the factory warranty on your 2004 Honda has expired or may be expiring soon. As a loyal Honda owner, you qualify for extended vehicle coverage of up to six additional years or 100,000 miles. Only your vehicle qualifies for this program.
...
Call immediately, 1-866-847-6655.
"Dealer Services" has no connection with Honda, and the notion that they've set up a program only for my vehicle is so ludicrous I have to wonder what kind of mentality they're aiming at. I bought my car used and have no factory warranty on it. If you've found this entry with a web search on the phone number or address, please follow my advice and don't be conned.
Here are some related links:
CMLP legal guide
The Citizen Media Law Project has put up a legal guide for people who publish online content. It's still incomplete (for instance, clicking on New Hampshire in the map provides no information), but it provides a lot of information on where you have a good chance of standing up to the government and where you can get into trouble. As an example of the latter, if you record illegal actions of cops in a public place with audio and don't get their consent or make it plainly obvious, in Massachusetts you could be the one who's prosecuted.
This looks like a useful reference.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Electronic Communications Preservation Act
A bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives to put more teeth into the requirement that governmental electronic records, especially those of the White House, be preserved. This bill, HR 5811, is called the Electronic Communications Preservation Act (PDF).
This bill would "require the electronic capture, management, and preservation" of "electronic communications that are records." This appears to apply to all government agencies. The stored records would have to be searchable, and record management software would be subject to certification. The bill would also apply, "to the extent practicable," to records other than communications. A statement by Linda Koontz for GAO (PDF) discusses some of the issues involved.
This could be ambitious. There is the issue of defining which communications are "records." Putting these records in context (e.g., an exchange of e-mail over a period of time) can be tricky. Attachments can come in an unpredictable variety of formats. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) would be put in charge of implementing this mandate over a four-year period.
Something desperately needs to be done to prevent future administrations from repeating the convenient sloppiness of the Bush administration, which has reportedly lost millions of pieces of e-mail. Working out the technical details can be both messy and exciting, not to mention laden with politics. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
In searching for links on the bill, I came upon the Open House Project blog. It looks worth following.