DC Police Begin Random Searches of Metro Passengers' Bags
The District of Columbia has begun "random" searching of Metro rail passengers's bags. There is no information on which of the 86 rail stations or 12,000 bus stops would be subject to searches. Passengers will be confront by police before entering train stations or boarding a bus. It is estimated that 1.2 million passengers use the rail and bus system each week day. A protest by citizens in opposition of the searches is being planned for October 29, 2008 from 3-7 pm. Those interested should go to their most convenient Metro station.
False Report Takes in Blogs Leading to Online Election Rumor
A young woman reported a campaign related attack to police, which was later admitted by the accuser to be untrue. Several Web blogs, wrote about the incident, but did not verify facts with the police. Rumor-Mongering is one of several Internet deceptive campaign threats voters face for the November 4, 2008 election. Deceptive campaigns are attempts to misdirect voters regarding the voting process for public elections. Deceptive campaign activity can be false statements about polling times, date of the election, campaigns, or voter identification rules. The EPIC report reviews the potential for abuse of Internet technology in an election context, and makes recommendations on steps that could be taken by Election Protection, Election Administrators, and voters to protect the integrity of the upcoming election.
Homeland Security Clears Secure Flight but Watchlists Remain
The Department of Homeland Security announced today the Final Regulations for the Secure Flight program. All airlines will now be required to collect date of birth and gender from customers and provide this information to the TSA for watchlist verification. A DHS Redress number, if previously issued, would also be collected. EPIC has warned in Congressional testimony that accuracy problems will continue to plague Secure Flight unless passengers are able to challenge the government's watchlist determinations. EPIC also recommended that the redress procedures be modified to limit data collection and to prescribe penalties for Privacy Act violations.
E-Deceptive Campaign Practices Technology Report Released
EPIC's voting project releases the first report on the technology of deceptive campaign practices. Deceptive campaigns are attempts to misdirect voters regarding the voting process for public elections. Deceptive campaign activity can be false statements about polling times, date of the election, or voter identification rules. The EPIC report reviews the potential for abuse of Internet technology in an election context, and makes recommendations on steps that could be taken by Election Protection, Election Administrators, and voters to protect the integrity of the upcoming election. A legal and policy companion of the report was simultaneously released by Common Cause and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
The Supreme Court hears arguments on the implications of police acting on their own inaccurate information. Police suspected that Herring, an Alabama resident, had a warrant. The police checked county records and finding no warrant checked a neighboring county which in error reported an outstanding warrant. Upon a search of Herring, as a result of the false warrant claim, he was found to be in possession of controlled substances. The case seeks a ruling from the court on whether the police can be insulated because they acted on erroneous information from a police county clerk. Criminal record database errors are further complicated by the practice of interlinking law enforcement databases.
