Call for Volunteers: GARP® Steering Task Force

ARMA International's task force structure is built to give you the opportunity to volunteer for targeted, specific opportunities to help the association, the profession, and your own development in a time-sensitive manner. Thank you for considering this volunteer opportunity!

The ARMA Board of Directors has chartered the GARP® Steering Task Force in February 2010, to guide the development of new products and services relative to GARP® Principles and the GARP® Maturity Model. The task force leader is specifically seeking individuals with business development and strategic planning expertise, who can provide oversight and input to the development of new products and services. The GARP® Steering Task Force is expected to charter sub-task forces to accomplish specific pieces of work. However, the members now being sought will provide strategic direction to the overall initiative, within the Board-approved parameters.

Task force members will be asked to serve for one (1) year, with the potential for being re-appointed for a second year if their particular skill sets are still needed. The work of the task force will be conducted almost exclusively by conference call, email, and use of collaborative web sites. There may be a meeting at the San Francisco conference, for those already in attendance.
The task force is seeking three (3) individuals with expertise in the following areas:

• Business development and rollout of new products/services
• Strategic planning and forecasting
• International base and/or perspective

If you are interested in being considered for this task force, please submit your resume and a short (150-200 words) description of why you would like serve on this task force.
Submission deadline: March 15, 2010
Interested candidates should contact:
Diane Carlisle, CRM Director, Professional Resources
Send E-mail

Google bosses convicted in Italy

The BBC reports that an Italian court has convicted three Google executives in a trial over a video showing a teenager with Down's Syndrome being bullied.

The Google employees were accused of breaking Italian law by allowing the video to be posted online.

Judge Oscar Magi absolved the three of defamation but convicted them of privacy violations.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8533695.stm

Internet Companies Voice Alarm over Italian Law

Internet companies and civil liberty activists are concerned about a proposed new Italian law that “would make online service providers responsible for their audiovisual content and copyright infringements by users, an article from the Reuters wire stated. The EU Commission might "open an investigation into the decree for infringing EU norms" if the law is passed. The draft legislation has also raised concerns from Italian groups dedicated to freedom of speech.
Further, the new decree could postpone the development of the web even further in a country that already significantly lags behind other Western European nations in terms of Internet usage. As an example, "Only around 10% of Italians buy online compared with around 55% of Britons and Germans," the articles stated.

from the ARMA International International Policy Brief, February 2010
Full International Policy Brief

British Police Officer Accused of Using Records Management System to Stalk Women

ARMA's Information Overload Blog writes that PC Robert Campbell allegedly conducted unauthorized searches of Hampshire Constabulary's electronic Records Management System to try to forge relationships with three women between July 2006 and April 2009,” British newspaper The News reported. Supposedly, Campbell, a 42-year-old from Portsmouth, also used the Records Management System to find information to single parent, who had previously been a victim of domestic violence. Campbell, who is still serving as a police officer, denied the four counts of misconduct in a public office brought against him.

Visit Information Overload here

Yes to SWIFT unlikely as vote in limbo

Euractiv.com reports today that a debate in the European Parliament last night cast a cloud of uncertainty over a vote scheduled today (11 February) on an agreement between the EU and the US on the transfer of citizens' financial data to prevent terrorist attacks.

MEPs close to the negotiations told EurActiv that after a tense debate with the European Council and the European Commission, the Council began trying to hash out a compromise in the small hours of 10 February to satisfy MEPs' concerns on bulk data transfers and legal redress.

On Wednesday, the Council also issued a statement saying it would try to meet MEPs' concerns ahead of today's plenary vote.

Read more here