Telecommunication industry giants AT&T, Microsoft and Verizon are lobbying hard to kill a data-breach notification bill in the Indiana statehouse, according to Chris Soghoian at CNET.com’s Surveillance State blog. Many state legislatures are passing security breach notification laws as a response to the increasing number of governmental and corporate databases divulging personal identification information either by mistake or by criminal enterprise. The Indiana bill would set the state attorney general as the single point of contact for data breaches, who would then post a report on the breach on a Web site, setting a single place for citizens to go to find out about data breaches.

Soghoian reports that at a state Senate Committee meeting earlier this week, 10 lobbyists, most from the telecommunications industry, criticized the bill as setting up a system that would be vulnerable to online fraudsters. The bill’s sponsors were the only people speaking in favor of the legislation. He said he expects the lobbyists will succeed at killing the Web site notification requirement in the bill. If money talks, and we know it does, then he is almost assuredly correct. By searching National Institute on Money in State Politics‘ database Followthemoney.org, you will see that during the last election cycle AT&T made over $172,000 in contributions to Indiana state office holders or candidates running for state office. Verizon made over $48,000 in contributions, while Microsoft gave $2,000. No matter the merits of the bill, the moneyed lobbyists have little fear of their voices not being heard load and clear.

By the way, on the substance of this legislation, Soghoian writes that the state of New Hampshire already posts copies online of all breaches reported to its Department of Justice, with no evidence of fraud being committed. And he lists two other Web sites, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and Attrition.org that post data breach reports online, with no instances of fraud to report.

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At first I thought this was a joke, but it’s not. From the Keystone State we hear that Pennsylvanian officials have decided not to publish the locations of its polling places. What?

The spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of State said that they made the decision after considering the bombings in Spain days before the 2004 national elections. (Did anyone tell the folks up in Pennsylvania that the bombings in Spain were of trains, not polling places? Wouldn’t it be more logical to beef up security around train stations and rail lines rather than hide the location of polling places?)

Besides running afoul of the state’s open records law and making coordinated statewide voter-mobilization strategies more difficult, Pennsylvania’s action will make it that much more difficult for citizens to vote. America has enough trouble with its elections without playing hide and seek with the voters. This is beyond ridiculous.

Hat tip: Allison.  Update

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The Cincinnati Enquirer shines  a light on the federal dollars hauled in by Greater Cincinnati's nine-member  House and Senate delegation. When it  comes to delivering the pork, the paper found that Sen. Mitch McConnell is the area's most powerful member. McConnell, a member of the Senate  Appropriations Committee, hauled in $391 million in federal funding for local  projects in budget bills being worked on in Congress, more than 1½ times the  amount that the area's other eight lawmakers got -- combined.

In a dramatic contrast, House Minority Leader  John Boehner is a teetotaller. He doesn't believe in earmarks and hasn't asked for any money for local  projects in the 13 spending bills that make up the federal budget. 

The  Enquirer built their own search engine that  allows readers to search what earmarks local members have gotten in spending  bills that are pending in Washington. Update: It bears mentioning that the database shows just how lousy the new Senate disclosure requirements on earmarks is. There are no company names. Just a general description of what the money should be spent on. The Enquirer writes about Earmark Watch, a joint project of Taxpayers for Common Sense and the Sunlight Foundation.  

Kudos  to The Enquirer.  Hopefully more papers will do the same and  start following what their congressional delegation is doing with our  money.  

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