Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/19/17

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Identity theft has been in the news lately due to huge data breaches like the one at Equifax. But at the center of that concern is a number, a number that serves as a universal identifier and thus is the key to stealing an identity and causing innocent people a world of hurt. That number, of course, is a Social Security Number, a number that was never meant to serve as a universal personal identifier. Now many want to see it replaced as a way to prove identity. But proving identity online is no simple task. In fact, it is probably the biggest challenge facing the digital world today.

Maine Currents 10/20/17

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Studio Engineer: John Greenman

Segment 1: An interview with award-winning “Bricks and Mortars” columnist Lawrence Reichard
The biweekly column appears in the Republican Journal and VillageSoup.com To receive the column via email, contact Lawrence Reichard at lreichard@gmail.com

Segment 2: Mainers Thought They Passed Ranked Choice Voting- Legislature Divided On Implementation
After the Maine Supreme Court opined that the word “plurality” in the state’s constitution was problematic in implementing ranked choice voting for statewide elections, a bill was presented to amend the new law so that RCV could move forward in the non-impacted national elections. Testimony at a public hearing Monday lasted for several hours, almost exclusively in favor of passage. Today we hear some of that testimony and then learn from Ann Luther of the League of Women Voters that despite popular support, many legislators favor delaying or blocking implementation completely.


Maine Currents- independent local news, views and culture, Tuesdays at 4pm on WERU-FM and weru.org