Police departments from Bakersfield, Calif., to Scranton, Pa., and beyond are piloting and deploying body-worn cameras (BWC) in increasing numbers, a movement happening just as privacy issues gain greater attention across the nation. While many hold out hope that BWCs will bring greater accountability and transparency of police actions, the technology also has the potential to cut into citizens’…
Tag: privacy
South Dakota Attorney General: Make mug shots public record
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley last week announced a list of measures he is asking the Legislature to pass this session. While all are important, there was one that stood out to us: making criminal booking photographs part of the public record.
You know them as “mug shots.”
Whenever anybody is arrested for a crime, law enforcement agencies take a photograph of the accused.
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Editorial: Supreme privacy in Rhode Island
A healthy system of self-government — something Rhode Island, unfortunately, lacks — depends on public access to information about the activities of those who hold power in the people’s name.
This is something the public must insist on, because when politicians get to decide whether privacy or disclosure should take precedence, it is a safe bet the politicians will come down against the public.
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Privacy concerns delay final passage of cybersecurity info-sharing bill
Final passage of legislation to thwart hack attacks is being delayed as lawmakers clash over how best to protect the privacy of Americans' personal information.
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Wyoming voters may decide if privacy, opengov should be added to Constitution
Lawmakers say they want voters to decide if privacy and open-government protections should be added to Wyoming's Constitution.
The Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Interim Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to support a bill that would put the proposed constitutional changes on the 2016 general election ballot.
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Police body cameras spark debate about privacy in Tennessee
As debates ramp up across the nation over the use of police body cameras, law enforcement officials have taken up a common refrain. Yes, police interact with civilians in public spaces, and those interactions should be recorded with body cameras.
But police work also involves being called to a person’s home on the worst day of his or her life, whether that’s to report domestic violence or a break-in.
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Wyoming lawmakers advance student email privacy bill
A legislative panel advanced a bill Thursday that would prevent nearly all student emails, including those to and from student government representatives, from being publicly released.
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In The Information Debate, Openness and Privacy Are The Same Thing
We’ve been framing the debate between openness and privacy the wrong way.
Rather than positioning privacy and openness as opposing forces, the fact is they’re different sides of the same coin – and equally important. This might seem simple, but it might also be the key to moving things forward around this crucial debate.
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Our View: Government does not operate well in secret
You can do the wrong thing even for what sounds like a good reason. Just take a look at what the Maine Department of Public Safety has in mind for the upcoming legislative session.
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Tracking the Postal Surveillance System
Last year, Ron Nixon discovered a small-business owner whose mail was being monitored by the United States Postal Service. After looking deeper, he realized that the snail-mail monitoring program is more common than he thought. Mr. Nixon describes the year-long reporting process. He also spoke to WNYC's The Takeaway about the subject this morning.
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