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Cybersecurity Issues and Challenges: In Brief

Description: The information and communications technology (ICT) industry has evolved greatly over the last half century. The technology is ubiquitous and increasingly integral to almost every facet of modern society. ICT devices and components are generally interdependent, and disruption of one may affect many others. Over the past several years, experts and policy makers have expressed increasing concerns about protecting ICT systems from cyberattacks, which many experts expect to increase in frequency an… more
Date: December 16, 2014
Creator: Fischer, Eric A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The SSCI Study of the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program: Issues to Consider

Description: This report briefly discusses issues pertaining to the 500-page Executive Summary of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA's) Detention and Interrogation Program, which released to the public on December 9, 2014 describes the history of the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program from late 2001 to January 2009, including a review of each of the 119 individuals known to have been held in CIA custody.
Date: December 16, 2014
Creator: Daugherty Miles, Anne
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Generalized System of Preferences: Background and Renewal Debate

Description: The U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program provides non-reciprocal, duty-free tariff treatment to certain products imported from designated beneficiary developing countries (BDCs). This report presents, first, recent developments and a brief history, economic rationale, and legal background leading to the establishment of the GSP. Second, the report presents a discussion of U.S. implementation of the GSP. Third, the report presents an analysis of the U.S. program's effectiveness a… more
Date: December 16, 2014
Creator: Jones, Vivian C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Ebola: Selected Legal Issues

Description: Several West African countries are currently grappling with an unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD). Here in the United States, where Ebola is not endemic, a handful of EVD cases have been diagnosed, and domestic transmission of the virus has occurred in only two cases to date. This report provides a brief overview of selected legal issues regarding measures to prevent transmission of Ebola virus and the civil rights of individuals affected by the disease.
Date: December 16, 2014
Creator: Cole, Jared P.; Perry, Rodney M.; Dolan, Alissa M.; Shimabukuro, Jon O.; Garcia, Michael J.; Smith, Jane M. et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The National Nanotechnology Initiative: Overview, Reauthorization, and Appropriations Issues

Description: This report provides an overview of nanotechnology, the National Nanotechnology Initiative, possible reauthorization of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-153), and appropriations issues.
Date: December 16, 2014
Creator: Sargent, John F., Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mexico: Background and U.S. Relations

Description: This report provides an overview of political and economic conditions in Mexico followed by assessments of some key issues of congressional interest in Mexico: security, human rights, trade, migration, energy, and water issues. The report summarizes legislative action that occurred related to these topics during the 113th Congress and refers to other CRS products and experts that can be consulted for further information.
Date: December 16, 2014
Creator: Ribando Seelke, Clare
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Overview of Selected Federal Criminal Civil Rights Statutes

Description: Federal criminal civil rights laws impose criminal penalties for deprivation of certain federal rights, privileges, or immunities. These laws prohibit hate crimes based on race, color, religion, or national origin; the burning of places of worship; violence against health care providers; and the transport of persons (particularly women and children) for the purpose of enslavement or forced labor. Some of these laws require a discriminatory motivation while others, such as human trafficking, do … more
Date: December 16, 2014
Creator: Smith, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Trade Commission’s Regulation of Environmental Marketing Claims and Related Legal Issues

Description: This report examines the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) role in regulating environmental marketing claims under the FTC Act and other federal laws. It begins with an overview of the FTC's enforcement powers under the FTC Act, including their potential extraterritorial application to unfair or deceptive claims made by foreign entities outside of the United States' territorial jurisdiction. It then examines how the FTC has exercised its powers under the act and other laws in the environmental… more
Date: December 16, 2014
Creator: Murrill, Brandon J. & Dolan, Alissa M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Selected CRS Materials on Detention and Interrogation of Terrorist Suspects and Enemy Belligerents

Description: This legal sidebar discusses issues of contention, which include whether U.S. detention and interrogation practices were permissible under domestic and international law, and whether U.S. personnel who authorized or engaged in such practices could be subject to criminal liability.
Date: December 16, 2014
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Big Deal? U.S. Changes Stance on Cruelty Prohibition

Description: This legal sidebar outlines a change in the U.S. interpretation regarding aspects of the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT); these comments were presented as part of the U.S. periodic report to the U.N. Committee Against Torture.
Date: December 16, 2014
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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