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Coalition Urges Senate to Protect Americans’ Privacy in Cybersecurity Legislation

cybersecurity-iconimage © Free PressYesterday ARL joined 37 other privacy and civil liberties organizations and companies in a letter (PDF) urging the US Senate to adhere to a basic set of principles to protect Americans’ privacy when drafting its cybersecurity legislation.

 
 

Letter Urging US Senate to Protect Americans' Privacy in Cybersecurity Legislation (June 25, 2013)

On June 25, 2013, ARL joined 37 other privacy and civil liberties organizations and companies in a letter urging the US Senate to adhere to a basic set of principles to protect Americans’ privacy when drafting its cybersecurity legislation.

pdf ltr-cybersecurity-privacy-25jun13.pdf

 
 

ARL, Coalition Support NSF Merit Review Process

us-capitolimage © Wally GobetzThis week ARL joined 109 other organizations as part of the Coalition for National Science Funding in a letter (PDF) to the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, as well as the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, expressing concern about recent Congressional actions that call into question the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) merit review process for awarding research grants.

 
 

Library Copyright Alliance Applauds Introduction of Unlocking Technology Act

hacking an iphoneimage © Bjørn MolstadThe Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) applauds the introduction in the US House of Representatives on May 9, 2013, of H.R. 1892, the Unlocking Technology Act of 2013, by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Jared Polis (D-CO). The bill guarantees that legitimate uses of digital works and technologies will not run afoul of copyright law, even if they require breaking digital locks. Prompted by the recent uproar over cell phone unlocking, the bill recognizes that issue as a symptom of a much larger problem and would fix that problem permanently.

 
 

ARL Applauds Judiciary Committee Action to Reform Privacy Laws

patrick-leahySenator Patrick Leahy
image © World Bank
On Thursday, April 25, the US Senate Judiciary Committee took another crucial step toward fixing outdated privacy laws by endorsing a bill proposed by Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that includes vital reforms to give appropriate privacy protection to e-mail and cloud storage. The committee passed a similar bill in November 2012, but the legislative session ended before the measure could reach the full Senate. The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) applauds Chairman Leahy and all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for their strong, bipartisan support for reasonable privacy protections online.

 
 

Letter Urging Representatives to Vote ‘No’ on H.R. 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA) (Apr. 16, 2012)

We the undersigned organizations urge you to vote "no" on H.R. 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA). We are gravely concerned that this bill will allow companies that hold very sensitive and personal information to liberally share it with the government, which could then use the information without meaningful oversight for purposes unrelated to cybersecurity.

pdf aclu-coalition-cispa-16apr2012.pdf

 
           

Letter to Congressional Representatives re: SOPA (Dec. 21, 2011)

Letter thanking representatives for their "advocacy of First Amendment rights and the value of an open and secure Internet during last week's markup of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)."

pdf lca_thanks_markuprev21dec11.pdf

 
         

Library Copyright Alliance Statement on Copyright Reform

In the wake of Judge Chin's rejection of the Google Books Settlement, there has been a renewed interest in legislative solutions to a variety of copyright issues affecting libraries, including those implicating the mass digitization of books, the use of orphan works, and the modernization of 17 U.S.C. §108 (particularly preservation). The Library Copyright Alliance, comprised of the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), has several general comments on possible efforts to address these issues via legislation.

pdf lca_copyrightreformstatement_16may11.pdf

 
 

Letter to Subcommittee on Communications and Technology re: Congressional Review Act and Net Neutrality (Feb. 16, 2011)

Letter from the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and EDUCAUSE asking representatives to oppose using the Congressional Review Act or any other legislation to overturn or undermine the recent "net neutrality" decision adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

pdf lt-netneutrality-16feb11.pdf

 
         

Concerns with the Leaked Internet Chapter of ACTA

Analysis of the U.S. proposal for an Internet chapter in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which was leaked to the press and widely disseminated on the Internet.

pdf acta-leak-24mar10.pdf

 
   

Library Associations Statement On The USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009

On October 20, 2009, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and Representatives Jerrold R. Nadler (D-NY) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) introduced the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R.3845). The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the American Library Association (ALA) believe that this bill contains necessary and important reforms to the powers created by the USA PATRIOT Act.

pdf us-patriot-statement-2009.pdf

 
 

In the Matter of Mandatory Deposit of Published Electronic Works Available Only Online

Reply comments from ARL and ALA regarding certain concerns raised in initial comments from the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA).

pdf mandatory-deposit-reply-16oct09.pdf

 
     

Library Associations Urge Congress to Increase Oversight and Enhance Civil Liberties Protections In Reauthorizing Provisions of the USA PATRIOT

The American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) support including enhanced civil liberties and due process safeguards in the reauthorization of selected provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act. When Congress last reauthorized these provisions in 2005, it recognized the need for oversight and sunsets to ensure that there would be an opportunity to revisit the Act and make necessary changes. Since then, Justice Department investigations have produced abundant evidence of the need for comprehensive reform of the Act. Congress should pass the USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act of 2009 with key amendments to protect civil liberties.

pdf lib-assoc-statement-patriot-23sep09.pdf

 
   
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