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United Kingdom: Data Protection Act Guidelines – a Practical Summary 23 March 2004 Article by Sarah G Staines Privacy and data protection has been the subject of considerable recent public comment. The Humberside Police made an extraordinary decision to dispose of information relating to the "Soham" murderer. A gas supplier has been vilified over the death of two vulnerable customers, when it stated it could not provide social services with their details under privacy rules. Companies have received official looking letters from bogus "Data Protection" agencies asking for sums far in excess of the statutory notification fee of £35 to act as a mere post-box. http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?article_id=25089&mostpopular ( Herbert Smith United Kingdom: Disclosure of Electronic Documents 28 March 2003 In this article we consider issues relating to disclosure of electronically-stored documents which are almost certain to arise whenever significant commercial litigation is in prospect. Recent high profile cases have shown they can be vital pieces of evidence which must be considered by those involved in litigation. There are still very few rules which provide specifically for the way electronic documents are to be disclosed – English civil procedure makes no general distinction between the disclosure of a paper or electronic document. http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=20845&searchresults ( The Telegraph Secret files reveal plans to evacuate the Queen before a Soviet nuclear attack By Elizabeth Day (Filed: 28/03/2004) Secret Government files that detail the evacuation plans for the Queen in the event of a nuclear attack on Britain are to be released to the public for the first time. The files, drawn up in the 1950s and 1960s, form part of a forthcoming exhibition by the National Archives outlining the rescue operation for the Queen in case of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F03%2F28%2Fnuc28.xml&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=25050 http://snipurl.com/5j0t Herald Sun They're out to get me: Lord Mayor 31mar04 BRISBANE lord mayor-elect Campbell Newman says he is the target of an orchestrated campaign to discredit him and that wheelie bins full of documents have been taken away from city hall. A Liberal, Mr Newman was elected mayor of Brisbane on Saturday, but will face a council chamber dominated by Labor councillors. "I am now thoroughly convinced that there is a concerted, systematic orchestrated effort to destroy, shred, dispose of documents that are owned by the people of Brisbane," Mr Newman told ABC radio. http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,9142012%255E1702,00.html The Japan Times Probe data leaked onto Net off officer's PC: Kyoto police KYOTO (Kyodo) Kyoto Prefectural Police said Monday that 19 pages of investigative records, including personal information on crime victims, were accidentally leaked onto the Internet by one of its officers who had stored the data on a personal computer. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040330a5.htm Records On Sleaze Go Missing The East African Standard (Nairobi) March 30, 2004 Posted to the web March 30, 2004 Nairobi Documents implicating former chief officers and some employees at the Iten-Tambach town council in the misappropriation of funds have gone missing. http://allafrica.com/stories/200403300029.html ( out-law.com Freedom of Information hits 22 new agencies 30/03/2004 With major provisions of the Freedom of Information Act due to come into force on 1st January 2005, the Government yesterday laid an Order before Parliament to add 22 public authorities to the list of those that have to comply with the Act. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) applies only to England, Ireland and Wales – Scotland has similar but separate legislation – and will require a transformation in the way public authorities deal with information requests from the general public. http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=freedomofinformati1080642255&area=news LONDONSE1 Feminist Library may be forced close 30 March 2004 Anne Critchley The award-winning Feminist Library at St George's Circus has lost its funding and is considering closure. http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view.php?ArtID=908 The Scotsman Netherfield's glass act proves a worldwide success INTERNATIONAL NETHERFIELD Visual, which makes showcases for museums, has been shortlisted for the international business award after winning a £500,000 contract to fit out Bill Clinton’s presidential library. http://business.scotsman.com/media.cfm?id=364332004 The New Nation Computerisation of the administration By Mar 31, 2004, 12:05 COMPUTER is a tool which is making government administration more efficient in the developed countries. But even a poor and developing country like Bangladesh can start making good use of the computers to achieve efficacy and transparency in its governmental functions. There are many areas in Bangladesh where the use of the computer can revolutionise the government administration. http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_7914.shtml ( Mauritius archives, slavery and research L'Express (Port Louis) March 31, 2004 Posted to the web March 31, 2004 Raj BOODHOO Port Louis Fifty years ago, the publication of the Bibliography of Mauritius 1502 - 1954 laid the foundation for historical research in Mauritius. This very important tool for research (884 pages) was going to open Mauritian history to an international audience for the first time. At that time, UNESCO was encouraging all countries of the world to set up their bibliographies. http://allafrica.com/stories/200403310737.html Obsolescence Presents Major Challenges Business Day (Johannesburg) April 1, 2004 Posted to the web April 1, 2004 Johannesburg UK Domesday content lost because interactive video disks can no longer be read THE IT industry is good at providing solutions to problems but pays little attention to whether these will be valid in the future. Data storage is a good example of this, says Metrofile marketing director Paul Mullon. "The archivists in the basement worry about the implications of long-term retention of storage but IT does not." http://allafrica.com/stories/200404010430.html 24HourMuseum BRITAIN'S COLD WAR SECRETS REVEALED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES By Richard Gurner Checking no-one was following him, Richard Gurner destroyed a few documents and made for the capital to get the truth behind the Secret State. Declassified top-secret documents on show at the National Archives demonstrate how worried the British Government was by the nuclear threat posed by Russia during the cold war. The Secret State exhibition is on display from April 2 to October 31 and is a vast collection of documents, films, letters, and public information leaflets that give a glimpse into Britain’s past. http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/exh_gfx_en/ART20713.html The Scotsman Unearthing botany's Indiana Jones CRAIG BROWN RARE archive images and film footage of a Scots botanist who was one of the world’s foremost plant collectors and who transformed Britain’s gardens are to be exhibited at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh (RBGE). The never before seen images will form part of an exhibition, opening tomorrow, celebrating the life of George Forrest, and marking the centenary of his first expedition to China in 1904. http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=374602004 CIO Saving Democracy from the Information Age Steven Clift, CIO, Sydney 02/04/2004 12:20:24 For the past 10 years, governments have had unprecedented opportunities to use technology to connect directly with citizens. So why haven’t they? “Is this the end of politics as we know it?” In the United States, journalists around the country were recently falling over each other to write their local article on the Internet and the presidential election. People are using the Internet to “MeetUp.com” and get involved in the presidential campaign of their choice. It is a real story. I was actually asked the “end of politics” question by a reporter back in 1994 when E-Democracy.Org created the world’s first election-oriented Web site. Since then I have seen waves of excess hype and scepticism about the role of new media in elections, governance and community. http://www.cio.com.au/nindex.php?id=667410339&fp=4&fpid=21 Peter A. Kurilecz CRM, CA Richmond, Va [log in to unmask]