Registering to vote in many jurisdictions threaten the privacy of rights of voters. Because voter registration information is considered part of the public record they are available to anyone. For example, by accessing the Travis County, Texas elections Web site, you can find a voter’s birth date, voting precinct and home address.
Citizens in Boulder County Colorado are challenging the county's ballot system, which places serial numbers on each ballot. The state argues that it needs the numbering system to authenticate that ballots cast in an election are valid, and not to invade the privacy of voters. Although the county does not ask that poll workers record the serial number of ballots taken by voters the suit charges that poll workers could record that information. Other voters worry about party affiliation being made part of the absentee ballot process because it may be a factor in which ballots are delivered in time to counted in the final election outcome.
It is estimated that several hundred Texas residents may have received the wrong driver's licenses in the mail due to a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) error. The agency believes that a mail sorting machine problem resulted in the error, which is estimated to have involved fewer than 800 persons. They advise that if anyone gets the wrong drivers license in the mail that they should take it to the nearest DPS office.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has changed how it will collect data on the nation's homeless after privacy advocates challenged their methods as threatening the safety of victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence shelter advocates also questioned HUD's decision to count the facilities as homeless shelters. The worst situation imaginable is a domestic abuser with access to the database that allows them to find their victim. The rule change provides stricter guidelines on domestic abuse shelters.
A new feature that Google is offering allows the indexing of Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on personal computers also poses privacy concerns. It is reported that the tool may allow shadowing of users while they surf the net, or provide access to passwords or e-commerce transactions. The new feature is now in its beta test phase and works with Windows Outlook Express or the Internet Explorer browser. The tool also allows the recording of instant messages, saves web pages that have been viewed, and chat conversations conducted using American Online Inc.'s instant messaging.
The California Supreme Court has concerns about the privacy of military ballots that may be cast by fax for the November 2, 2004 election. However, the court has decided to delay considering the matter until after the election, because it is too late to devise a method for interim relief for these military voters. As the rules apply, military voters are required to sign a waiver giving up their right to a secret ballot if they want to vote by fax.
A state reports that they are acting under a federal mandate to create and maintain a statewide database on educational achievement of all children in their state be established. The Nebraska Department of Education recently announced its intention to have a system in place by next fall. The database will contain a broad range of information on students, which will include demographics, their participation in programs like special education and their status. It is also reported that Iowa set up an electronic tracking system this fall.
The scale that privacy is being eroded by the application of computer technology is alarming. The post 9/11 debate about privacy verses security was late in coming, but in some instances seems to have been by passed by the rush to install surveillance technology, and commercial use of tracking technology that leaves the privacy rights of consumers behind. The article is an analysis of what has come and what may be in store for the American consumer.
Yesterday the Food and Drug Administration announced approval of an implant to be placed under a person's skin that could provide information such as medical history. The Florida based company, Applied Digital Solutions, had sought the approval to market the device to those interested in providing medical information in the event of an emergency. However, the device would not only be accessible to medical professionals, but to anyone with technology capable of reading the information imbedded. The device could also be used for non-medical uses that may include the tracking and monitoring persons throughout society--driver license identification information, school ID information, credit card authorization information, and employment identification.
Service men and women from North Dakota and Missouri currently, serving overseas have been offered voting options by those states that promote the use of e-mail and fax machines. The proposal would allow military voters to send in completed ballots, which will necessarily associate the name of the voter with each ballot submitted in this way, to an office in the Pentagon. With decisions regarding promotions and assignments made by superiors this decision places special focus on the importance of a secret ballot. The reason the secret ballot is so important is the history of voter intimidation and coercion that have occurred in the past.
A request to revisit the Councilman Decision has come before a federal appeals court in Boston. The Justice Department is asking that the First Circuit Court of Appeals to again hear the case U.S. v. Councilman in which several civil liberties groups filed a "Friend-of-the-court" brief in support of the Department's motion. In this case Councilman offered e-mail service to clients, but configured the service to copy all communications from Amazon.com a competitor and forward them to his mailbox.
The Governor of California vetoed a law that would have increased privacy protection employees of entities that provide online access. The veto was issued on the grounds that the notice requirement by employers to employees was too broad. The bill's sponsor said that the bill only required a one-time notice from an employer to employees if they wanted to monitor employee e-mail. The bill was supported by privacy and consumer advocates passed the assembly and the senate with healthy margins in August
California has the latest in anti-spyware law. The new law is intended to protect customers from software that acts to invade online customer privacy. It is now illegal for anyone to install software on someone else's computer and use it to modify settings, including the user's homepage, default search page, or bookmarks. A ban is now in effect for software that cannot be uninstalled or disabled or software that appears to be uninstalled or disabled, but is not. The penalty for violators is $1,000 per incident and complainants’ attorney's fees.
California became the first state to add privacy protection to cellphone numbers. The new law gives California citizens the right to decide if their cellphone numbers will be listed in a 411 directory. The House Commerce Committee is scheduled to consider, H.R. 3558, the Wireless 411 Privacy Act on Wednesday. A Senate visionof the bill, S. 1963, was approved last week. This bill was amended to allow opt-in by customers prior to their cellphone numbers being listed.
A RFID strategy to win over privacy and civil liberties advocates by some RFID vendors is underway. Although the vendors still say that they see cost as being the biggest factor in broad adoption of the technology SAP is interested developing a better relationship with advocacy groups. SAP will seek common ground among vendors, political groups, industry figures and civil libertarians by bringing them together at CeBIT 2005 and other trade shows.
