National News

• Bit Torrent site ISOHunt was forced to shut down last week as part of a conflict with the MPAA. Turns out they turned off the lights a few days early to avoid allowing their site from falling into the hands of a group of “rogue archivists,” the Archive Team that aims to preserve information from disappearing websites. (TechDirt)
• Yesterday I noted that the US Chamber of Commerce spends millions of dollars every quarter on lobbying, turns out there are 20 other organizations that dropped at least $1 million on lobbying during the 3rd quarter of 2013. The big spenders included the National Association of realtors, AT&T, the Open Society Policy Center, General Electric, and more. (Roll Call)
• A new book from Peter Schweizer, a fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution and conservative proponent of campaign finance regulation, draws attention to the lavish tactics used by Congressional leadership PACs to raise money. (New York Times)

International News

• A new search engine is boosting speeds and traffic at Thailands largest library of digital legislative information. The Parliament of Thailand holds documents dating back to 1932, the start of Thailand’s constitutional rule. (FutureGov)

State and Local News

• As Michael Bloomberg prepares to cede control of New York City after years at the helm, his team is hoping to set the digital path forward for the next Mayor. The Bloomberg administration’s final Digital Roadmap outlines progress on 40 initiatives that have come out of the NYC Digital Office since its 2011 inception and outlines potential priorities moving forward. (Tech President)
• An investigative report out of Wisconsin shows that Supreme Court justices in the state get gobs of campaign cash from attorney donors and rarely recuse themselves from cases involving donors. The analysis also found that justices tend to look favorably on arguments from lawyers that donated to their campaigns.  (Wisconsin Watch)
• San Francisco, often a first mover on open data and technology issues, is looking to beef up their existing open data ordinance. The update would provide clearer open data standards, strengthen privacy protections, set timelines for data release, and more. (GovFresh)

Events Today

• Misunderestimating Corruption. Center for Global Development. 12:00 – 1:30 pm. 1800 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Third Floor, Washington, DC 20036.
• The Right to Photograph and Record in Public. National Press Club. 6:00 pm. National Press Club, Conference Rooms, 529 14th Street NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045.

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