Privacy

May 21, 2008 -- THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank the members of Congress who've joined us as I sign the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, a piece of legislation which prohibits health insurers and employers from discriminating on the basis of genetic information.    » read more »

May 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in response to President Bush signing the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act into law.

Melissa Wagoner, spokeswoman for Senator Kennedy, said, "Today, the President signed what Senator Kennedy calls the first civil rights law of the century of the life sciences. This bipartisan legislation continues Senator Kennedy's ongoing commitment to a fairer and more just America, by barring discrimination on the basis of an individual's DNA code, just as the nation has previously prohibited discrimination based on race, gender or national origin."

Source: Senator Ted Kennedy's office

May 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Senator Hillary Clinton today issued the following statement on the President’s signing into law of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act.

“Today our nation has struck down a barrier that has for too long threatened the privacy and equality of many Americans. Personal genetic information will no longer stand in the way of anyone’s ability to obtain health care. The fear of discrimination must never stop people from undergoing critical tests for genetic illnesses.    » read more »

123 Illinois Sex Offenders from MySpace Discovered on Facebook

May 8, 2008 -- Chicago - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced today that Facebook has agreed to make key changes to its social networking site that will better protect children from predators and inappropriate content.

No talking about Facebook: Photo by Alpha (CC)

Madigan joined the attorneys general of 49 other states and the District of Columbia in the agreement resulting in actions by Facebook similar to those MySpace agreed to in January 2008.    » read more »

May 8, 2008 -- (Anchorage, AK) -- Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg and the attorneys general of 48 other states and the District of Columbia today announced that Facebook has agreed to changes to better protect children from predators and inappropriate content on the social networking site.

Facebook logo: Photo by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid (CC)

Facebook also agreed to participate in a task force on exploring and developing age and identity verification software. The agreement is similar to one that MySpace reached in January with 49 states and the District of Columbia.    » read more »

April 24, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement after the Senate's passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (H.R. 493):

"I am proud the Senate passed landmark legislation today to protect all Americans from discrimination by insurance companies and employers on the basis of our genetics. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act will strengthen our privacy and civil rights protections in this new century of medical breakthroughs.

Automated DNA analyzers: Photo by Steve Jurvetson (CC)    » read more »

April 21, 2008 -- Residents who participated in Michigan's Jan. 15 presidential primary won't have their political party preferences revealed thanks to Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land's commitment to voter privacy.

Land is refusing to release information regarding which partisan ballot each voter selected in the Jan. 15 election. Public Act 52 of 2007, which set the Jan. 15 election date, required the Secretary of State to provide Michigan's Democratic and Republican parties with a list showing voters' party preferences.

Vote here sign, Michigan primary election: Photo by Ben+Sam (CC)    » read more »

Texas Court Urged to Dismiss Suit Filed Against Internet Message Board Host

March 28, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Texas railway company that is suing to identify people who posted critical parodies on an Internet message board has no right to demand that the Web hosting company identify the posters just because the rail line finds the material offensive, Public Citizen told the court in a motion filed Friday.    » read more »

March 14, 2008 -- (Washington, DC) - House Judiciary Committe Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) delivered the following remarks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today regarding H.R. 3773, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008:

Mr. Speaker, there are few rights that are more fundamental to our democracy than the right to privacy. And there are few responsibilities that are more important than the government protecting us from foreign threats.    » read more »

March 13, 2008 -- (Washington, DC) - House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers released the following statement in response to news that the House of Representatives is expected to move into closed session tonight to review information regarding the administration’s warrantless surveillance program:    » read more »

March 13, 2008 -- (Washington, DC) - Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) released the following statement after review of the Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) report on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) use of National Security Letters (NSL) and 215 orders in 2006, as well as subsequent corrective actions taken last year.

The reports are linked below.    » read more »

Justice Department Report on Use of National Security Letters Shows Continued Problems

March 13, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Today, the Department of Justice released its review of the FBI’s use of National Security Letters. Following the report’s release, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, sponsor of the National Security Letter Reform Act, released the following statement:    » read more »

March 12, 2008 -- (Washington, DC) - Today, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and 19 members of the House Judiciary Committee issued a statement regarding telecommunications immunity, as the House prepares to consider the FISA Amendments Act of 2008.

Following a review of classified information relating to the warrantless surveillance program and immunity for telecommunications companies, the members reported their conclusion that the administration has not established a valid and credible case to justify granting blanket retroactive immunity at this time.    » read more »

March 3, 2008 -- THE PRESIDENT: General Wasden, thank you, sir; and General Lynch, thank you for having the Attorney General and me here to visit with the nation's Attorney Generals. I thank you very much for serving the country. I'm honored that you've stepped forward to say, I'm going to put my family in such a way that we're going to serve together. And I hope you have found the experience to be as enriching as I've found it -- my experience in public life to be.    » read more »

February 28, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC—Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement in response to President Bush’s remarks on FISA this morning.

“At a time when Congress is willing to extend the Protect America Act, the President continues to use the specter of terrorism to push an agenda that has nothing to do with making America safer. If the telecommunications companies didn’t break the law, they do not need immunity. If they broke the law, the American people deserve to know the size and scope of their lawbreaking.    » read more »