Access to Gov't Information

The New England First Amendment Institute – Applications Due By Sept. 15!

The CMLP's friends at the New England First Amendment Coalition will soon be selecting twenty-five New England journalists for an intensive course on freedom of information law and investigative reporting techniques at the inaugural First Amendment Institute to be held November 13-15, 2011, in Dedham, Massachusetts.

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New Survey on Public and Media Interest in Government Transparency

The CMLP's friends at the National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Media Law Resource Center have just released the results of a recent survey of citizen interest in government transparency and

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Rethinking Sunshine in the Beehive State

After enacting a colossally backward law in recent weeks that undermined Utah's open records law, the Utah government is now considering a repeal of the bill that earned Utah the Society of Professional Journalists' inaugural Black Hole Award, which goes to "the most heinous violations of the public's right to know."

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Hey, When Did This Slope Get so Slippery? The Danger of Self-Surveillance in Three-Strikes Internet Laws

I recall a Twilight Zone episode with a great twist: a man, in order to win a bet that he could stay quiet for an entire year, has had his vocal cords severed. The idea being, it is particularly gruesome to imagine a human being rendered mute for money.

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The Killing Joke: We Debate Broadband Access Definitions as Library Hours Plummet

"Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says 'Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.' Man bursts into tears. Says 'But, doctor...I am Pagliacci.'" - Rorchach's Journal, Oct.

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Public Engines to World: Look, But Don't Touch the Crime Data

funny pictures of cats with captionsEarlier this spring, Public Engines, Inc. sued ReportSee, Inc. in federal district court in Utah.

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Public Engines, Inc. v. ReportSee, Inc.

Date: 

04/09/2010

Threat Type: 

Lawsuit

Party Receiving Legal Threat: 

ReportSee, Inc.

Type of Party: 

Organization

Type of Party: 

Organization

Court Type: 

Federal

Court Name: 

United States District Court for the District of Utah

Case Number: 

2:10cv00317

Legal Counsel: 

Parr Brown Gee & Loveless; Rubin, Winston, Diercks, Harris & Cook, LLP; and Bowie & Jensen, LLC

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Website

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Status: 

Pending

Description: 

On April 9, 2010, Public Engines, Inc. sued ReportSee, Inc. in federal court claiming breach of contract, hot news misappropriation, interference with contract, false advertising, as well as violations of federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and Utah's Anti-Cyberterrorism Act. Public Engines is seeking damages and preliminary and permanent injunctions.

Public Engines contracts with law enforcement agencies to provide software and services to process crime statistics. It de-identifies the data by removing the specifics of crimes and details of ongoing investigation and makes the crime statistics available to the public through the website CrimeReports.com, which is updated daily. Public Engines describes the CrimeReports website as an"'official' crime information portal for the law enforcement agencies." (Complaint ¶ 21 ).

ReportSee also publishes crime statistic data on its website. According to the complaint, ReportSee collected data from CrimeReports.com by scraping Public Engines' website and published the data on SpotCrime.com, a website that contains advertisements, a commercial use of the data in violation of the terms of service of the CrimeReports website. (Complaint ¶¶ 26, 46-50, 69). 

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Government Data: This Data Was Made for You and Me?

In March, Google launched its Public Data Explorer, expanding upon its public data search feature that's been around since last spring.

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Keeping 911 Recordings Public and Online

When a grizzly bear mauled bicyclist Petra Davis two years ago in an Anchorage park, she called 911 from her cell phone, barely able to speak: "Please help ... bear," she struggled to say. "I can't talk." A fellow biker quickly came to her rescue, grabbing her cell phone and calling again for help: "I have a young girl here who was mauled by a bear and who is in pretty bad shape," Peter Bassinger told the operator.

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Hello Gorgeous! The Streisand Effect Survives Assassination Attempt

I have written plenty of posts in which I have opined that sue-happy entities simply do not understand the Streisand Effect.

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The Catsouras Photos: Will a Family's Privacy Interest Impede Press Access?

The tragic story of Nikki Catsouras continues. I considered not giving yet more attention to the horrific accident photos she is now most known for, but the case still elicits a great deal of emotion and for that very reason it's important to address the law that is being decided in California. 

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Let's Make A Deal! Will ACTA Force an End to Executive Agreements?

Things aren't looking good for the American public. While Americans generally love the idea of being tough on crime, I doubt grandmothers want to ardently police the online habits of their grandchildren.

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Wikileaks Needs Financial Help

I have a pet theory that perfect informational transparency would make the world a more civil place.  Sure, it might be embarrassing to reveal our personal secrets and foibles to the world, but the tradeoff would be that you'd know when someone was talking out of both sides of their mouth.  In such a world, maybe that senator wouldn't be quite so holier-than-thou when the public knows about his penchant for underage prosti

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Online Media Legal Network Announces Partnership with National Freedom of Information Coalition

The Citizen Media Law Project is pleased to announce that its Online Media Legal Network (OMLN) is partnering with the National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC) to assist with freedom of information lawsuits and to provide online journalists with FOI information and assistance.  We are honored to join forces with NF

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Each Man an Island? Record Industry Denies that Three Strikes Ban Will Be Collective Punishment

No man is an island, no man stands alone
Each man's joy is joy to me
Each man's grief is my own
We need one another, so I will defend
Each man as my brother
Each man as my friend

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