New CRS Report on Data Mining
Thanks to Docuticker for pointing out this new Congressional Research Report on Federal data mining efforts:
Data Mining and Homeland Security: An Overview (PDF; 231 KB)
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Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists)
Aside from cataloging currently known datamining efforts by the federal government, the report identifies four areas of concern:
As with other aspects of data mining, while technological capabilities are important, there are other implementation and oversight issues that can influence the success of a project’s outcome. One issue is data quality, which refers to the accuracy and completeness of the data being analyzed. A second issue is the interoperability of the data mining software and databases being used by different agencies. A third issue is mission creep, or the use of data for purposes other than for which the data were originally collected. A fourth issue is privacy. Questions that may be considered include the degree to which government agencies should use and mix commercial data with government data, whether data sources are being used for purposes other than those for which they were originally designed, and possible application of the Privacy Act to these initiatives.
I've heard people say that data mining by the government is no big deal since advertisers and other corporate interests do it all the time in efforts to focus marketing and improve profits. If we don't have privacy from corporate types, why should the government worry us? Because ratty data used by a marketer might result in a bald man getting shampoo ads, but when the government relies on ratty data for law enforcement, innocent people can get jailed or harrassed.
Hopefully Congress will be more vigilant on this issue.
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Happy 75th to UCLA!
In a govdoc-l posting on December 21, 2007, Jan Goldsmith informed the depository community that the Federal Depository LIbrary at UCLA celebrated it's 75th anniversary. Her post states how they celebrated:
The UCLA Library celebrates its 75th anniversary as a member of the Federal Depository Library Program this year. We were designated a depository in 1932 by Senator Samuel Shortridge. Over the course of these past years, we have provided free access to federal government information for the University community and beyond. In honor of our anniversary, Kris Kasianovitz and Jan Goldsmith, with the professional assistance of Ellen Watanabe and Dawn Setzer, mounted an exhibit in the Young Research Library lobby. Gary Strong signed letters notifying all legislators whose district we serve, including our Senators and Congress representatives. For more information regarding 75 years of collection and services of the Federal Government Documents at the UCLA Library visit our Anniversary web page, at: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/yrl/depository_exhibit.html
Let's hear it for UCLA for providing three quarters of a century of public service to the people of Los Angeles!
Continue readingDelivery by FTP and RSS coming in FDSys
The Government Printing Office released a new technical document on the Federal Digital System (FDSys) called FDsys System Release and Capabilities v5.0, December 2007.
In paging through this document, I was pleased to learn that when the latest release (1C) is deployed, FDSys will support delivery of documents in formats including PDF by FTP and RSS. The sections making note of these new features are brief:
4.10.5 Delivery by RSS
FDsys will allow users to sign up to receive DIPs via RSS.
4.10.8 Delivery by FTP
Release 1C.4 builds upon 1C.2 by allowing users to request delivery based on user defined criteria.
Depending on how these features are implemented, it could be exciting for federal documents stakeholders including depository libraries.
As previously announced, I believe, people will also be able to get notifications of new content without having to get full file downloads:
4.10.22 User Notifications
Release 1C.4 will build upon Release 1C.2 by providing additional email and RSS notifications. Users will be able to sign up to receive notifications for system events, business events, and job processing events. This includes receiving a notification when now content is added to a collection or when there is a match to a user defined string.
According to the release schedule, some of these features will appear by November 2008 and others won't be ready till 2009. But it looks like GPO is on the right track and bringing out features long sought by many in the documents community. We at FGI are cautiously optimistic.
Continue reading50-State Agency Database Registry Launches Historical Materials
The 50-State Agency Databases Registry, which I coordinate, has launched a new set of subject-focused database collections under the heading of history:
* Biographical Databases - Databases that provide biographical sketches of authors, state officials, famous state residents, etc.
http://wikis.ala.org/godor
* Historical Media Databases - Databases that provide online access to photographs, video, or audio.
http://wikis.ala.org/godor
* Historical Newspaper and Magazine Indexes - Databases that index articles in older newspapers, journals and magazine that contain historical information. These databases will usually lead one to microfilmed items that may be obtainable through Interlibrary Loan.
http://wikis.ala.org/godor
* Museum Collection Databases - Catalogs of state museum holdings which often have historical notes. Museums listed here are either run by a state or by one of the state's political subdivisions
http://wikis.ala.org/godor
* Official Records Databases - vital records, (birth, death, etc), war pensions, etc.
http://wikis.ala.org/godor
These pages just launched, so they are a little light on content. The Registry volunteers will be adding to these pages in the next few weeks.
If you are registered with the ALA GODORT wiki and would like to help the effort along, please browse the state pages or search for words from the historical categories and copy and paste databases from the state pages to the appropriate subject page.
Why these topics? Because after making solicitations here, on govdoc-l and on Facebook, more people wanted subject pages for historical materials than anything else. It's my personal hope that when these annotated historical materials pages are filled out, they will be of special value to historians and to schoolchildren stuck with "I need to do a report on the State of _____." It will help them go beyond state symbols and the like.
Hope you enjoy them!
Continue readingNew CRS Report on Senate Holds
We've written about how secret Senate holds have blocked transparency legislation that had wide bipartisan support. Last month the Congressional Research Service came out with this report on the subject of holds:
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Senate Policy on "Holds": Action in the 110th Congress
November 20, 2007
"When the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (S. 1, 110th Congress) was signed into law on September 14, 2007, Section 512 of that statute specifically addressed the issue of secret "holds." Holds are a longstanding custom of the Senate that enabled Members to provide notice to their party leader of their intent to object on the floor to taking up or passing a measure or matter. Their potency as a blocking, delaying, or bargaining device is linked to Senators' ability to conduct filibusters or object to unanimous consent agreements or requests. The new holds process outlined in Section 512 is designed to constrain the frequency of anonymous holds and promote more openness and transparency with respect to their use. Ultimately, it is up to the majority leader of the Senate -- who sets the chamber's agenda after consulting various people -- to decide whether, or for how long, he will honor a colleague's hold. This report will be updated if circumstances warrant a revision."
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So the next time there is a secret hold, the main chap to complain to will be:
Reid, Harry- (D - NV)
528 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3542
Web Form: reid.senate.gov/contact/email_form.cfm
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Thanks to the Open CRS project at http://opencrs.com for getting ahold of this report and making it available to the public. Their work is very important because Congress has prevented its research arm from making CRS reports available to the public, even though they are in the public domain and unclassified. Most of the arguments we've heard not releasing CRS reports apply equally well to the Government Accountability Office, which has released all of its non-classified information products for many years.
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