SIGTARP October 2010 Quarterly Report to Congress

More than two years have passed since the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (“EESA”) authorized the creation of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (“TARP”). On October 3, 2010, Treasury’s authority to initiate new TARP investments expired, marking a significant milestone in TARP’s history but also leading to the widespread, but mistaken, belief that TARP is at or near its end. As of October 3, $178.4 billion in TARP funds were still outstanding, and although no new TARP obligations can be made, money already obligated to existing programs may still be expended. Indeed, with more than $80 billion still obligated and available for spending, it is likely that far more TARP funds will be expended after October 3, 2010, than in the year since last October when U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (“Treasury Secretary”) extended TARP’s authority by one year. In short, it is still far too early to write TARP’s obituary.

(U//FOUO) DHS-FBI Small Arms, Lone Shooters and Small-Unit Tactics Warning

(U//FOUO) DHS and the FBI assess that, given the current evolving and diversifying Homeland threat environment, recent incidents involving small arms operations here in the United States and abroad demonstrate the need for continued vigilance and awareness. Small arms operations could be employed through a range of tactics from a lone shooter—as illustrated by the 1 September incident in Silver Spring, Maryland at the headquarters of a U.S. cable network—to a small-unit assault operation.

DHS-DoD Memorandum of Agreement on Cybersecurity October 2010

The purpose of the Agreement is to set forth terms by which DHS and DoD will provide personnel, equipment, and facilities in order to increase interdepartmental collaboration in strategic planning for the Nation’s cybersecurity, mutual support for cybersecurity capabilities development, and synchronization of current operational cybersecurity mission activities. Implementing this Agreement will focus national cybersecurity efforts, increasing the overall capacity and capability of both DHS’s homeland security and DoD’s national security missions, while providing integral protection for privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.

TransUnion Illegal Sale of Personal Credit Information 2000 FTC Documentation

The Federal Trade Commission has ordered the Trans Union Corporation to stop selling consumer reports in the form of target marketing lists to marketers who lack an authorized purpose for receiving them under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”). In a unanimous opinion authored by Commissioner Mozelle W. Thompson, the FTC determined that “Trans Union’s target marketing lists are . . . consumer reports under the FCRA” and concluded that Trans Union is violating the FCRA by selling this information to target marketers who lack one of the “permissible purposes” enumerated under the Act. The Commission’s decision applies to a number of Trans Union’s target marketing list products including its Master File / Selects products, its modeled products and its TransLink / reverse append products. Trans Union is based in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the three national credit bureaus, or consumer reporting agencies, in the United States. It currently handles data on approximately 160 million consumers. As a consumer reporting agency, Trans Union receives detailed credit information about millions of American consumers from numerous credit grantors including banks, mortgage companies, credit unions, auto dealers and others. Trans Union compiles this information into consumer reports and sells the reports to credit grantors nationwide.

TransUnion Corporation Sale of Consumer Credit Information Privacy Litigation Decision 2002

Defendant Trans Union is one of three major consumer reporting agencies in the United States. Its core business is assembling and evaluating consumer credit information, including credit and payment patterns on consumers for the purpose of selling consumer reports to third parties. Typical buyers of such information are firms considering extending credit to a particular consumer. The information provided by Trans Union is used to determine if the consumer is a good credit risk. Trans Union maintains a computer data base called “CRONUS,” that contains consumer credit information it uses to generate credit reports. The data base includes the credit activity of every credit-active individual in the United States. Trans Union receives the information from credit grantors such as banks, mortgage companies, credit unions, auto dealers and collection agencies. Trans Union also receives information on student loans and child support.

French Protest Photos October 2010

akynou – http://www.flickr.com/photos/akynou/ Serge Grosclaude – http://www.flickr.com/photos/8895916@N06/ La Monolecte – http://www.flickr.com/photos/monolecte/ Mesli – http://www.flickr.com/photos/mesli/ marcovdz – http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcovdz/ Fabien Decker – http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabien_becker/ samsofy – http://www.flickr.com/photos/samsofy/ Frederic Minois – http://www.flickr.com/photos/cirderf/ tehf0x – http://www.flickr.com/photos/tehf0x/ Jean-Baptiste Lequere – http://www.flickr.com/photos/lequerejeanbaptiste/ Renaud Moisson-Leclerc – http://www.flickr.com/photos/53992746@N00/ trashpo21…

TransUnion Threatens Public Intelligence Over Credit Reporting Guides

A Vice-President of TransUnion has demanded that we remove two documents from this site that he says are copyrighted. Gary S. Friedlander, Vice President & Division General Counsel for TransUnion LLC, says that our posting of the documents constitutes “intentional infringement” and he threatens that “Trans Union can file a lawsuit against you seeking among other things: preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, money damages, and attorneys’ fees”. Mr. Friedlander also demands that we “immediately destroy any and all copies of Trans Union copyrighted material in your possession and/or control”.

(U//FOUO) DHS Report: Small Unit Tactics in Terrorist Attacks

The DHS/Office for Bombing Prevention TRIPwire team is providing this Information Product to private sector owners and operators and law enforcement to alert them to small unit tactics used by terrorists throughout the world. This report is derived from a variety of open sources and government reports. At this time, there is no credible or specific information that terrorists are planning operations against public buildings in the United States, but it is important for Federal, State, and Local authorities, and private sector owners and operators to be aware of potential terrorist tactics.

USMC Reserve Security Office WikiLeaks Guidance

The information found on the website “WIKILEAKS” is classified information that was transmitted to that public domain site illegally. Per reference (a) and the enclosures, “Classified Information shall not be declassified automatically as a result of any unauthorized disclosure of identical or similar information.” Despite the circumstances surrounding WIKILEAKS, we must continue to protect similar or identical information commensurate with the level of classification assigned per reference (b), until the information is assessed by the appropriate Original Classification Authority (DCA).

(U//FOUO) DoE-DHS Energy Sector Critical Infrastructure Protection Plan

In its role as Energy SSA, DOE has worked closely with dozens of government and industry security partners to prepare this 2007 Energy SSP. Much of that work was conducted through the Sector Coordinating Councils (SCC) for electricity and for oil and natural gas, as well as through the Energy Government Coordinating Council (GCC). The electricity SCC represents more than 95 percent of the electric industry and the oil and natural gas SCC represents more than 98 percent of its industry. The GCC, co—chaired by DHS and DOE, represents all levels of government—Federal, State, local, and tribal-that are concerned with the Energy Sector.