NEWS:

• A prime example of redundancy in government is the vocabulary of useful terms, such as “rural”, which currently has 15 different definitions across US agencies. The farm bill approved by the Senate last night would streamline the definitions – from 15 to 9. (Washington Post)
• Following Obama’s executive order in May for open, machine readable data, agencies look for useful ways to incorporate outside datasets and mitigate privacy concerns. (FCW)
• Think the furor over government surveillance calls for dedicated oversight? It turns out that there’s been a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board since 2004, though it’s done precious little in nearly a decade of existence. (Washington Post)
• Varying accounts of how much Congress knew about the surveillance programs call into question the necessity of classification of information, even between legislators and their staffers. (Roll Call)
• Nonprofit organization Transparency International released a report yesterday evaluating military contractors on their anti-corruption screening before making sales. Controversially low scores prompted several nations to ask for the evaluation criteria to improve their own screening processes. (New York Times)

TODAY:

• Privacy in a Digital World. The Washington Post. 8:30 – 10:15 a.m. 1150 15th Street NW. Registration required.
• The Struggle for Independent Media and Freedom of Expression in Bahrain. National Endowment for Democracy.  10:00-11:30 a.m. 1025 F Street, N.W., Suite 800.
• Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now. New America Foundation. 12:15 – 1:30 p.m. 1899 L Street NW Suite 400.