Library and Archives Canada
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Institutional links
Government
Governance and Recordkeeping Around the World -
March 2009, vol. 2, no. 10
News
General News
- Canada
- Other Countries
- United States
- Federal Government
- State Government
- Private Sector
Canada
Federal Government
"Government to replace online service"
After spending nearly one billion dollars, the federal government has announced that Secure Channel, a secure online system to put all government programs and services online and provide Canadians "single window" access into government, is being replaced.
The reason: Departments do not want to use it because it is expensive, cumbersome and outdated.
Treasury Board officials say the government will upgrade its online services by 2010 with a more "flexible security option" as all departments do not need the same level of security.
Source:
www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=53c07185-f270-4fca-
b660-6b382bae2b16
Other countries
Australia
"No government wide guidelines on transferring information"
The Australian Government Information Management Office has confirmed that there are no government- wide guidelines on transferring information and that it is the responsibility of each individual agency to decide on the appropriate method.
This is in response to an incident involving an unencrypted disk containing personal information that was lost in transit.
Source:
www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24597034-15306,00.html
Ireland
"National Archives and the Irish Manuscripts Commission to merge with National Library"
The National Archives will be combined with the National Library as part of a program to reduce the number of state agencies.
Source:
www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1014/breaking69.htm
Mexico
"Canadian officials praise the access to information policies used in Mexico"
Canadian information and privacy officials regard the information policies in use in Mexico as better than those of Canada.
"They're quite advanced," said Suzanne Legault, an assistant information commissioner with the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, who has read the Mexican legislation. "They're very, very advanced in terms of FOI (Freedom of Information)."
Mexico, unlike Canada, has a system that is entirely Web-based, meaning that requests are sent by email, responses are generated electronically, and if the requestor wishes to file a complaint, it is sent electronically directly to the information commissioner.
Source:
www.thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Federal-Politics/2008/10/01/MexicanAccess/
United Kingdom
"Report: Official Government records should be released after 15 instead of 30 years"
An independent review of the 30-year rule on disclosure of confidential government papers has recommended that confidential government documents be released after 15 years instead of the current 30-year period.
Factors considered in reaching this decision included creating a more appropriate balance between effective government and open government, the significant impact of Freedom of Information legislation, and the discernible international moves towards greater official transparency and public access.
Link to Report:
www.30yearrulereview.org.uk/default.htm
United States
Federal Government
"Increased focus on governance and the management of records"
The combination of the global financial crisis and a new president could result in new compliance regulations, which would improve corporate governance and transparency and affect the management and storage of data.
Potential new regulations would compel companies to create and retain more business records for extended periods of time and, because a large number of business records are created electronically, this would affect the demands for storage.
Source:
www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3794456/Obama+Dems+Could+
Mean+New+Compliance+Regs.htm
"President wants health care records digitized"
The President has proposed that the nation's health care records be computerized and standardized in five years, though this presents a number of challenges.
Currently only about eight percent of the nation's 5,000 hospitals and seventeen percent of its 800,000 physicians use the common computerized recordkeeping systems that President Obama wishes to implement, and some experts say that serious concerns about patient privacy must be addressed first. Also, there is a lack of skilled workers to build and implement the necessary technology.
Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/12/technology/stimulus_health_care/index.htm
"Evidence obtained based on careless recordkeeping may be used against defendants"
The Supreme Court has ruled that evidence obtained based on careless recordkeeping by the police may be used against criminal defendants.
The ruling is based on a case of an individual whose arrest was made as a result of incorrect information that had not been updated in a police database. The individual was convicted and sentenced to 27 months in jail.
Source:
www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/washington/15scotus.html?_r=2&hp
State Government
Arizona
"Court: Metadata is not considered part of a public record"
The Court of Appeals has ruled that metadata is not considered part of a file or document itself and therefore is exempt from state laws that define what records are public. Metadata is the information computers use to keep track of a document based on, for example, the creation date and who has accessed it. The ruling is based on a case in which an individual requested the date a document was created (the metadata) to determine whether the document was backdated.
Judge Patricia Norris, writing for the dissenting view, argues "The metadata information is as valuable as the text itself because this information can ... identify and certify the scope authenticity and integrity of active or archival electronic information or records."
Source:
www.yourwestvalley.com/news/document_4887___article.html/public_
information.html
Heartland Payment Systems
"Company reveals potential unauthorized access to credit and debit card information"
Heartland Payment Systems, a company that processes credit card transactions for over 250,000 businesses, has revealed a security breach that has potentially exposed tens of millions of credit and debit card numbers that could make this the single largest theft of consumer data to date.
This incident affects Canadians who travelled to the United States in 2008 and Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart says "I'm amazed to see something this significant can still happen with the importance that not only privacy commissioners, but experts everywhere, are placing on security. I was concerned to see this going on and the size of it."
Source:
www.ecommercetimes.com/story/security/65918.html
www.canada.com/topics/technology/story.html?id=1202289
