Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

Something Isn’t Kosher

Posted on April 1, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

Can you guess without clicking on the links how many of these stories are true, and how many are April Fools?

Posted in Completely Different | 1 Comment

FBI Outdoes Itself With “SafeSneaker” Plan

Posted on April 1, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

Paging Bruce Schneier. This piece of security theater has to take the cake.

According to a proposal being floated by the FBI, manufacturers of sneakers with a suggested retail price over $75 a pair would be required to produce individualized patterns in the sole that would allow police to uniquely identify the wearer.

The “SafeSneaker” proposal is being justified as an anti-crime measure in that criminals apparently often wear sneakers, and that school children are often mugged for their (expensive) sneakers. The idea is that parents would be encouraged to register the unique patterns in an online database, thus protecting their children from robbery — and incidentally identifying them if footprint evidence were found at the scene of a crime.

The stupidity of this idea defies belief. What parents are going to finger their children in this fashion? How often can the FBI actually get good enough footprint evidence to make out an intricate pattern? What happens when the shoes get worn, or if kids mutilate the soles to obscure the pattern?

I mean, just when you think you've heard everything….

Posted in Civil Liberties | 3 Comments

Bush Supporters and Buyer’s Remorse

Posted on March 31, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

Even some of Bush's own senior campaign staff now have buyer's remorse: Ex-Aide Details a Loss of Faith in the President.

So who are those three out of ten people who tell pollsters they support him?

Bush's support still exceeds that of perennial French presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen of the National Front (FN) who currently has 17% support.

Posted in Politics: US | Comments Off on Bush Supporters and Buyer’s Remorse

Yet Another DoJ Document Dump

Posted on March 28, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

A third batch of documents dumped by DoJ in the Gonzales 8 scandal.

On review, it appears that certain statements in the February 23 letter are contradicted by Department documents included in our production in connection with the Committees' review of the resignations of U.S. Attorneys. We sincerely regret any inaccuracy.

Update: Here's why the new documents matter.

Still waiting for the White House documents…

Update: It seems the really good documents may be hiding at gwb43.com.

Posted in Politics: US: GW Bush Scandals | 2 Comments

Off to DC

Posted on March 28, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

I'm off to DC today. Tomorrow I'll be appearing on a panel entitled The Future of Internet Governance at the American Society of International Law's annual meeting.

Although I've taught the basic public international law course a couple of times, and the connections to Internet Law are obvious, I don't consider myself a mainstream international lawyer. This will be the first time I go to an ASIL meeting. A number of the panels are about things I am particularly interested in — arbitration, terrorism, detainee related issues — so I'm looking forward to learning stuff and meeting new people.

I suspect that the atmosphere will be more formal than most of the events I go to these days. I tend to go to tech events and conferences that are held in inexpensive venues and where people wear t-shirts. (Or, occasionally, that are held in lovely, expensive venues, but people still wear t-shirts.) The ASIL is meeting in a very expensive venue, in the heart of Foggy Bottom, but it being DC, and the attendee list full of international judges, I'm expecting this is a suit environment.

Posted in Talks & Conferences | 1 Comment

Detainee 940 Still Waiting for Justice

Posted on March 28, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

This, on the other hand, is not funny at all: Guantanamo Waiting for Justice, the latest from Project Hammad.

(thank you to MK).

Posted in Guantanamo | Comments Off on Detainee 940 Still Waiting for Justice