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China seeks to reduce Internet users’ anonymity

FAC July 13, 2010

As part of China’s Internet “real name system,” forum moderators would have to use their real names as would users of online bulletin boards.  Anonymous comments on news stories would be removed. – SMD News July 13, 2010 By AP BEIJING — A leading Chinese Internet regulator has vowed to reduce anonymity in China’s portion of cyberspace, calling for new rules to require people to use their real names when buying a mobile phone or

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Key US Senate panel backs ‘libel tourism’ bill

FAC July 13, 2010

The libel tourism measure would prevent US federal courts from recognizing or enforcing  foreign judgments for defamation, inconsistent with the first amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. -SMD News By AFP WASHINGTON — A key US Senate panel on Tuesday approved a bill to shield US journalists, authors, and publishers from “libel tourists” who file suit in countries where they expect to get the most favorable ruling. The Senate Judiciary Committee,

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First Amendment areas proposed for INTRUST Bank Arena [VIDEO]

FAC July 13, 2010

Sedgwick County, Kansas, is setting up three permanent First Amendment areas for protesters to gather at will– SMD KWCH 12 Eyewitness News July 13, 2010 By Rebecca Gannon The next time you head to an event at Wichita’s INTRUST Bank Arena, watch where you walk. On Wednesday, Sedgwick County Officials will ask certain areas be protected — for protestors. Since the Intrust Bank Arena opened in January, more than 288,600 people have gone to a show

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A&A: Records request regarding government contractors was denied on privacy grounds

FAC July 12, 2010

Q:  I manage a small organization that helps teach people to use public records for their protection. Recently we made a request to several municipalities for records of payments made to people doing business with the muni’s. We sought to discover the names of persons or companies who were paid by the county or city in the previous year, and in order to separate individuals from companies we requested files sorted by tax ID information. 

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A&A: A Group of City Council Staffers Can Constitute a Serial Meeting, too

FAC July 12, 2010

Q: Our organization arranged a private meeting of some community stakeholders on a issue that will be coming before a city council committee, and we invited members of the staff of the three councilmen who make up that committee. However, we were told that only one staff member could attend, because any more would make it a violation of the Brown Act. Is it correct that meetings of elected officials’ staff members subject to the

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