hippoetry

Mostly limericks, based on current events.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

INS "data mined" addresses on mail. Opened mail

US government kept records of addresses of citizenry and opened mail during WWII:

Consequently, [A.S. Hudson -- administrator of the Fort Lincoln Detention Station] sought authorization to bring in a full-time German-speaking intelligence officer to eavesdrop on the detainees and to gather information on the nearby populace.

Some of the citizenry, he feared, might assist in escape attempts. Intelligence work, he argued, should also include examination of the detainees' incoming and outgoing mail in order to determine their attitudes.

On the basis of this opinion, Hudson and his staff set up index cards for each detainee, recording on them the names and addresses on all outgoing mail and the writers' names, addresses, and dates of arrival on all incoming mail. This practice would soon become standard procedure at all the INS camps.

A sampling of mail was to be opened and read. In addition, the chief patrol inspector ordered incoming packages inspected for unspecified contraband prior to delivery to the Germans.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

US Code regarding telephone privacy

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/search/display.html?terms=telephone%20customer%20information&url=/uscode/html/uscode47/usc_sec_47_00000222----000-.html
TITLE 47 > CHAPTER 5 > SUBCHAPTER II > Part I > § 222
§ 222. Privacy of customer information



Release date: 2006-01-11

(a) In general
Every telecommunications carrier has a duty to protect the confidentiality of proprietary information of, and relating to, other telecommunication carriers, equipment manufacturers, and customers, including telecommunication carriers reselling telecommunications services provided by a telecommunications carrier.

(b) Confidentiality of carrier information
A telecommunications carrier that receives or obtains proprietary information from another carrier for purposes of providing any telecommunications service shall use such information only for such purpose, and shall not use such information for its own marketing efforts.

(c) Confidentiality of customer proprietary network information
(1) Privacy requirements for telecommunications carriers
Except as required by law or with the approval of the customer, a telecommunications carrier that receives or obtains customer proprietary network information by virtue of its provision of a telecommunications service shall only use, disclose, or permit access to individually identifiable customer proprietary network information in its provision of (A) the telecommunications service from which such information is derived, or (B) services necessary to, or used in, the provision of such telecommunications service, including the publishing of directories.

(2) Disclosure on request by customers
A telecommunications carrier shall disclose customer proprietary network information, upon affirmative written request by the customer, to any person designated by the customer.

(3) Aggregate customer information
A telecommunications carrier that receives or obtains customer proprietary network information by virtue of its provision of a telecommunications service may use, disclose, or permit access to aggregate customer information other than for the purposes described in paragraph (1). A local exchange carrier may use, disclose, or permit access to aggregate customer information other than for purposes described in paragraph (1) only if it provides such aggregate information to other carriers or persons on reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms and conditions upon reasonable request therefor.


(d) Exceptions
Nothing in this section prohibits a telecommunications carrier from using, disclosing, or permitting access to customer proprietary network information obtained from its customers, either directly or indirectly through its agents—
(1) to initiate, render, bill, and collect for telecommunications services;
(2) to protect the rights or property of the carrier, or to protect users of those services and other carriers from fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful use of, or subscription to, such services;
(3) to provide any inbound telemarketing, referral, or administrative services to the customer for the duration of the call, if such call was initiated by the customer and the customer approves of the use of such information to provide such service; and
(4) to provide call location information concerning the user of a commercial mobile service (as such term is defined in section 332 (d) of this title)—
(A) to a public safety answering point, emergency medical service provider or emergency dispatch provider, public safety, fire service, or law enforcement official, or hospital emergency or trauma care facility, in order to respond to the user’s call for emergency services;
(B) to inform the user’s legal guardian or members of the user’s immediate family of the user’s location in an emergency situation that involves the risk of death or serious physical harm; or
(C) to providers of information or database management services solely for purposes of assisting in the delivery of emergency services in response to an emergency.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Cleaning, with Nancy

Pelosi was flapping her gums,
While her face hinted she needed Tums.
She longed to clean House,
To squash-dead each louse
Alas! She's learned Libs are the bums.

Beating around at Bush

(Cleaning, with Nancy, Part II)
Nancy'd been beating the rugs,
Hoping to murder bad bugs.
But, she stopped being willing
To continue the killing
When she heard that Dem drivers did drugs.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Big Joe Wilson and his Dracular Dems

What a big web they have woven,
These folks in the Democrat coven.
They'll lie and impugn
From midnight til noon
When the sun burns them up like an oven.

Lawyer: Five Witnesses Say Joe Wilson Outed Valerie Plame