The tubes are ablaze with buzz about government accountability and access as Data.gov launches today. Craig Newmark, who will be speaking at CFP blogs, “This is a genuinely big advance in grassroots democracy.”
Speaking of Newmark, Craigslist filed suit against the South Carolina AG “seeking declaratory relief and a restraining order with respect to criminal charges he has repeatedly threatened against craigslist and its executives.” Oddly enough, South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster has declared the action a victory.
The University of Michigan has changed the terms of its Library of the Future Project with Google. According to the new agreement, U of M will now get a digital copy of every book on its shelves. Sherwin Siy of Public Knowledge will be joined by Alex Macgillivray, on CFP’s panel about the Google Book Deal. Macgillivray led negotiations for the original deal.
The Committee to Protect Journalists released a list of the “10 Worst Countries to be a Blogger.” CFP will have bloggers from two of the “worst” countries listed in attendance to discuss what it’s like first hand.
Highschool Hackers: Get ready! The Pentagon wants to tap your talent. But be careful with your Facebook–there’s been another phishing attack.
In other government news, President Obama and former Vice President Cheney don’t agree on what should be kept secret. CFP’s opening keynote will feature Susan Crawford of the Obama Administration, who will speak about policies in areas involving technology and liberty. Also, a panel led by the ACLU’s Mike German will explore whether government secrecy makes sense in the internet age.
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