Public Policy Connections

Organizations Support Government Accountability and Transparency

More than 30 organizations, including SLA, wrote a letter to Representative Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Chairman of the House and Oversight and Government Reform Committee in support of H.R. 6086. The bill will eliminate broad Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemptions for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that were enacted last month when the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) was signed into law.

The bill strikes FOIA exemptions that were included in the Dodd-Frank Act that allow the SEC to avoid disclosing records or other information obtained from its registered entities if the information is used for “surveillance, risk assessments, or other regulatory and oversight activities." The bill also clarifies that the SEC can protect sensitive records obtained under its examination authority by using an existing FOIA exemption covering records of financial institutions. The bill provides that any entity that the SEC is responsible for regulating, supervising, or examining is a “financial institution” for purposes of FOIA Exemption 8. H.R. 6086 is companion legislation to S. 3717 introduced by Senators Leahy, Cornyn, Kaufman, and Grassley on August 5, 2010.

Read Letter.

Google-Verizon Deal: The End of The Internet as We Know It?

Following reports that Google and Verizon were finalizing a deal that could upend net neutrality and bring about "the end of the Internet as we know it," the two companies announced a seven point policy proposal they say is aimed at preserving an "open internet."

Read more: Huffington Post

Read more: New York Times

EFF Offers Help for P2P Targets of Predatory Copyright Infringement Lawsuits

"U.S. Copyright Group v. the People," published by the  Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF),  is  a comprehensive collection of resources designed to assist the thousands of individuals accused of online copyright infringement by a Washington, D.C., law firm calling itself the U.S. Copyright Group (USCG).

Earlier this year the USCG filed "John Doe" lawsuits on behalf of seven filmmakers implicating well over 14,000 anonymous individuals in alleged unauthorized downloading of independent films, including "Far Cry" and "The Hurt Locker." USCG's strategy appears to be to threaten a judgment of up to $150,000 per downloaded movie -- the maximum penalty allowable by law in copyright suits and a very unlikely judgment in cases arising from a single, noncommercial infringement -- in order to pressure the alleged infringers to settle quickly for $1,500 - $2,500 per person.

EFF's new webpage  has important information for subpoena targets, including explanations of the claims made by USCG, discussions of possible responses, and resources to help people find legal counsel and assistance.