(4/25/2008) New privacy-enhancing video surveillance technology developed by the University of Toronto may bring some peace in the tug-of-war between public safety and privacy concerns in mass transit systems - but also raises a fresh set of concerns. | (4/16/2008) Following the chaotic opening of Terminal 5, British Airways has announced that two of its senior executives will leave the company. The opening of Terminal 5 (T5) in March was beset by a catalogue of problems when a high-tech baggage system broke down and log-on problems left staff unable to get into work. | (4/3/2008) Twenty-three million Taiwan citizens will be issued biometric e-passports by the second half of 2008, under the new National Identity System (NIS) developed by Hewlett-Packard. The project aims to improve the detection of forged or altered passports and to ensure more convenient travel across borders. | (3/31/2008) Problems with two major IT systems spoiled the opening of Heathrow's UK$4.3 billion Terminal 5 last week. The introduction of fingerprinting was brought to a halt just hours before the new state-of-the-art terminal opened, following data protection concerns raised by the Information Commissioner's Office. | (3/26/2008) Private contract employees working at the U.S. Department of State have repeatedly accessed U.S. Senator Barack Obama's passport records over the past three months -- a breach flagged by the State Department's in-house computer system but subsequently downplayed by the supervisors of the offices in which the breaches occurred. | (2/28/2008) Privacy advocates on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border are sounding loud alarms about RFID-enabled enhanced drivers' licences (EDLs). In January, British Columbia became the first province to introduce EDLs for cross-border travel in conjunction with Washington State. | (2/13/2008) Plans for the General Motors of Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence were recently unveiled by officials from GM and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. The centre will be housed at the UOIT's Oshawa campus and aims to enhance engineering competitiveness in Canada's automotive sector. | (2/11/2008) Shortly after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) launched a new blog site to gather feedback from air travelers and respond to their suggestions, it halted a practice at some airports that required travelers to remove all electronic equipment from carry-on luggage during security screens. | (1/23/2008) When visiting Niagara Falls, chances are you're too enthralled by the beauty and power of the cataract to think of anything else. Until you cross the U.S./Canada border - then you have to think about the interrogation from customs agents and the video cameras locked in on your vehicle. |
  |  |  | | Blog Spotlight: Sandford Borins |  | As Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Toronto, Sandford Borins brings InterGovWorld.com readers exclusive insights into how and why the public sector is changing. You'll find new perspectives and questions, observations and objectives, lessons and answers. Cover to Cover, the blog by Prof. Sandford Borins, appears every Thursday. Inside Cover to Cover | |
|  | | Unified Communications |  | Unity is a word often heard in the public sector, with myriad agencies and departments looking to foster collective thinking around some of today's most pressing issues. The word, however, doesn't usually get mentioned in the same breath as technology. That's a situation, though, that might soon be changing, thanks to a new software platform known as unified communications.
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