Category «Free Speech»

A Federal Tool to Check Voter Citizenship Keeps Making Mistakes

ProPublica: “…The source of the bad data was a Department of Homeland Security tool called the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE. Once used mostly to check immigrants’ eligibility for public benefits, SAVE has undergone a dramatic expansion over the last year at the behest of President Donald Trump, who has long falsely claimed …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Gallup Will No Longer Track Presidential Approval Ratings

The New York Times: “After nearly 90 years, the Gallup Organization will no longer track presidential approval ratings, which served as a steady way to measure Americans’ views of their elected leaders. The polling firm, which has been tracking presidential approval since Franklin D. Roosevelt, said that the decision was based on a shift in …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

New database offers macro look at Trump administration’s immigration crackdown

Fast Company: “As the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration continues, keeping up with Immigrations and Custom Enforcement can feel like navigating a maze. From stories of agents raiding worksites and taking children in broad daylight to reported plans for new detention centers, the daily onslaught of alarming news makes it difficult to see the full …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Here’s how to record ICE and CBP agents as safely as possible

Wired – no paywall: “Filming federal agents in public is legal, but avoiding a dangerous—even deadly—confrontation isn’t guaranteed. Here’s how to record ICE and CBP agents as safely as possible and have an impact… That’s the paradox United States residents face as they decide how to resist—and record—ICE’s incursion into American cities.  “Unfortunately, there is …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

ICE and CBP’s Face-Recognition App Can’t Actually Verify Who People Are

Wired: “ICE has used Mobile Fortify to identify immigrants and citizens alike over 100,000 times, by one estimate. It wasn’t built to work like that—and only got approved after DHS abandoned its own privacy rules.The face-recognition app Mobile Fortify, now used by United States immigration agents in towns and cities across the US, is not …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Government, E-Records, Free Speech, Legal Research, Privacy

Trump’s Call to ‘Nationalize’ Elections Adds to State Officials’ Alarm

The New York Times Gift Article – “President Trump’s declaration that he wants to “nationalize” voting in the United States arrives at a perilous moment for the relationship between the federal government and top election officials across the country. While the executive branch has no explicit authority over elections, generations of secretaries of state have …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Courts, E-Records, Free Speech, Government Documents, Legal Research

Dozens of CDC vaccination databases have been frozen under RFK Jr.

Ars Technica: “Nearly half of the databases that public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were updating on a monthly basis have been frozen without notice or explanation, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study—led by Janet Freilich, a law expert at Boston University, and …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Medicine

Dial-A-Poem is back

BoingBoing: “If you ever find yourself in need of a poem, I’ve got great news for you: Dial-A-Poem is back! These days, the arts of all kinds, including protest music, are providing much-appreciated balms for our collective wounds and voices for our collective outrage, so Dial-A-Poem’s return couldn’t have been better timed. SPIN Magazine explains that Dial-A-Poem was …

Subjects: Free Speech, Internet

The Deportation Data Project

The Deportation Data Project collects and posts public, anonymized U.S. government immigration enforcement datasets. We use the Freedom of Information Act to gather datasets directly from the government, and we also post datasets that the government has posted proactively or in response to others’ requests. We expect these datasets to be used by journalists, researchers, …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

Government Unconstitutionally Labels ICE Observers as Domestic Terrorists

ICE Making List of Anyone Who Films Them. “We have a nice little database and now you’re considered a domestic terrorist.” Ken Klippenstein ICE’s Secret Watchlists of Americans Sparta, Reaper and Grapevine track protesters, their friends (+ others) – Ken Klippenstein Wired [no paywall] – Meta Is Blocking Links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram, …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Records, Free Speech, Legal Research, Social Media

Justice pushes agencies to use AI-assisted translations, when offering them at all

NextGov – “The Department of Justice is leading an effort to reduce multilingual services deemed “non-essential” across the government. When translations are needed for government products, DOJ is recommending that agencies use technology to get the job done…A new DOJ memo calls for “responsible” AI, but provides little detail on how agencies should address risk.” Info.Gov …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Identifying ‘Less-Lethal’ Weapons Used By DHS Agents in US Immigration Raids and Protests

Bellingcat: “Federal agents have frequently used so-called “less-lethal” weapons against protesters, including impact projectiles, tear gas and pepper spray, since the Trump administration’s nationwide immigration raids began last year. The use of less-lethal weapons (LLWs) has been controversial. While designed to incapacitate or control a person without causing death or permanent injury, they can cause …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Defense, Free Speech, Government Documents, Legal Research