BurningbirdThe prosecution documents related to Aaron Swartz are to be released after personally identifying information is redacted.
This is a good decision, both in the release of the documents and the removal of personal identification. We need to examine the process, not instigate a witch hunt.
I agreed with Aaron about the need to make documents, such as those in PACER and JSTOR, available to the public. Where I disagreed with him is in the method. Hence this web site.
I’m angry about the Republican intransigence regarding a vote for Gina McCarthy.
The Republican senators state that there’s a ‘lack of transparency’ to the actions of the EPA. They use the same old tired excuse that the previous head, Lisa Jackson, used an email alias. They ignore the fact that Jackson’s formal email address gets over a million emails a year, and is thus entirely useless when it comes to necessary communication. They also ignore the assurances, given again and again, that Jackson’s alias address is used when fulfilling Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
As for those FOIA mandates, no agency is perfect, but the EPA is most decidedly trying.
The NSA has recently declassified its internet research how-to manual, Untangling the Web: An Introduction to Internet Research (PDF), and evidently someone grabbed it via a FOIA request.
It’s 600 pages, folks. It is going to be a slow download. It’s also based on 2007 technology, which is something like 1 1/2 internet generations ago. Still, it is an interesting look at how that never-talked-about agency, the NSA, works.
(h/t Frank Paynter)
I wrote earlier (An Open PACER) that we don’t need a formalized open alternative to PACER, all we need do is post court documents with appropriate labels, and the search engines become the alternative system.
This week I became aware of another case I wanted to follow: Trumpeter Swan Society et al vs. the EPA. Several environmental groups are suing the EPA for not doing enough to eliminate lead bullets. Lead in bullets causes significant harm to endangered wild birds and other wild life.
I found the Docket entries for the case, but before downloading any documents, did a search in Google on the case name. Among the results is what looks to be an NRA related site opposing this lawsuit that also provides access to most of the court filings.
I don’t have to agree with the site and it doesn’t have to agree with me about which side is dancing with the angels in this case. What’s important is we both agree the PACER documents should be easily and freely available. I’ve now copied the documents and will post links of my own—helping to ensure access to these documents in the future.
I discovered another very open law journal, the Georgetown Law Journal. I found it when following a link from the New York Time’s Mark Bittman to Combating Obesity with a Right to Nutrition, which I immediately snagged for my personal use.
I’ve added The Georgetown Law Library to my Open Document Sites sidebar links. Now excuse me while I go read what promises to be a fascinating writing.