This brochure first discusses the make-up of the Committee on Open Government and its responsibility for overseeing the implementation of two laws: the Freedom of Information Law (Public Officers Law, sections 84-90), which governs rights of access to government records; and the Open Meetings Law (Public Officers Law, sections 100-111), which…

Through a review of two accelerating trends in the technology of producing and distributing information and entertainment, this paper argues that the promises of "the information economy" and the "television of abundance" bring not the emancipation of diversity and access, but the rapid disintegration of an already weakened…

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) pertains broadly to education records, though an institution can exempt its law enforcement records from FERPA coverage. The primary purpose of this report was to examine FERPA's effect on the flow of information between institutions of higher education and law enforcement agencies. Study…

School boards might wish to check their present policies on student records for compliance with the provisions of "The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974." Once parents learn about it from the media, principals could be faced with a flood of requests to see their children's records. (Author/WM)

School administrators do, under specific circumstances enjoy the benefits of privileged communication and can rely on some legal protection if charged with defamation of character. (Author/WM)

Four major pieces of legislation enacted since 1974--Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (the "Buckley Amendment"), Amendment to the Freedom of Information Act, The National Research Act, and The Privacy Act--represent a broad scope, impacting the administration of research, funding procedures, and the very substance and techniques of…

This report of the Privacy Protection Study Commission was prepared in response to a Congressional mandate to study data banks, automatic data processing programs, and information systems of governmental, regional and private organizations to determine standards and procedures in force for the protection of personal information. Recommendations…

Reviews of publications about privacy law, of recent court actions, and of interviews with newspaper photographers and attorneys indicate that torts of privacy often conflict with the freedoms to publish and to gather news. Although some guidelines have already been established (about running distorted pictures, "stealing" pictures, taking…

Policies and issues associated with the privacy and security of criminal history information are presented. The first chapter discusses general concepts regarding privacy and security of criminal justice information, including definitions of basic terms, considerations of interests requiring attention when developing policy, relevance of fair…

This paper examines the effects of Privacy laws on the conduct of legitimate social research. The report focuses on national legislation dealing with individual privacy, in particular the Privacy Act of 1974, and considers several new statutes which concern the privacy of participants in research. A large portion of the paper discusses (1)…

Recent attempts to clear up the controversy over when and why receipt of an intimate self-disclosure leads to attraction in a first encounter have called attention to the possible role of the perceiver's own disclosure. To investigate the influence of the perceiver's own disclosure on attraction to a disclosing stimulus person, female subjects…

The foundations of the public's right to know what the government is doing and the limitations placed on that right are explored in this paper. The role of the press in furthering the people's right to know is also discussed. Sections in the paper deal with the following topics: (1) general and historical thought on the right to know; (2) the…

Materials in this resource document were compiled for use in a Washington seminar directed to the interests of state and local government to develop strategies for privacy protection. Included are the texts of issue papers and supporting documents in the following subject areas: (1) criminal justice information; (2) public employee records; (3)…

This report of policy samples is the 17th in a continuing series of kit-booklets issued to help school boards develop written policies in key subject areas. The intent in providing samples is to encourage thinking in policy terms; and to provide working papers to be edited, modified, or adapted to meet local requirements. Policy samples herein…

A new bill, H. R. 1984, a comprehensive legislative approach to privacy issues, would regulate the uses and sources, retention, storage, and handling of personal information in private industry--including colleges and universities. The author explores the issues applicable to higher education and makes proposals that reflect its concerns.…