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Nick Hopkins and Ian Traynor, UK Guardian: “Mass surveillance programmes used by the US and Britain to spy on people in Europe have been condemned in the “strongest possible terms” by the first parliamentary inquiry into the disclosures, which has demanded an end to the vast, systematic and indiscriminate collection of personal data by intelligence agencies. The inquiry by the European …
“EPIC has received the documents that were the subject of EPIC’s Freedom of Information Act appeal to the D.C. Circuit in EPIC v. DHS (Body Scanner FOIA Appeal). The agency had previously withheld test results, fact sheets, and estimates regarding the radiation risks of body scanners used to screen passengers at airports. EPIC challenged the lower court’s determination that the factual material was “deliberative” and therefore exempt …
National Security Letters in Foreign Intelligence Investigations: Legal Background, January 3, 2014: “Five statutory provisions vest government agencies responsible for certain foreign intelligence investigations (principally the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)) with authority to issue written commands comparable to administrative subpoenas. A National Security Letter (NSL) seeks customer and consumer transaction information in national security investigations from communications providers, …
“The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has ruled that the FBI may withhold a memo prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel concerning the law governing “exigent letter” requests to telephone companies for call records. The decision affirmed an earlier opinion that the memo was privileged advice, and exempt from disclosure under the Freedom information Act. The …
Internet Monitor 2013: Reflections on the Digital World, Urs Gasser….a collection of essays from roughly two dozen experts around the world, including Ron Deibert, Malavika Jayaram, Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, Molly Sauter, Bruce Schneier, Ashkan Soltani, and Zeynep Tufekci, among others. The report highlights key events and recent trends in the digital space. “This publication is the first …
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Audit, Report Number 17-14-001-03-315, issued to the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training. Controls Over the Release of the UI Weekly Claims Report Need Improvement, (January 2, 2014) “Within the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Office of Unemployment Insurance (OUI) is responsible …
Foreign Policy – THE LEADING GLOBAL THINKERS OF 2013 THE SURVEILLANCE STATE DECISION-MAKERS CHALLENGERS NATURALS INNOVATORS ADVOCATES CHRONICLERS HEALERS ARTISTS MOGULS
“The mission of the International Children’s Digital Library Foundation (ICDL Foundation) is to support the world’s children in becoming effective members of the global community – who exhibit tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas — by making the best in children’s literature available online free of charge. The Foundation pursues its vision …
ACLU: “A federal court issued an opinion and order in ACLU v. Clapper [American Civil Liberties Union v. Clapper, 13-cv-03994, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan)], the ACLU’s challenge to the constitutionality of the NSA’s mass call-tracking program, ruling that the government’s bulk collection of phone records is lawful under Section 215 of the Patriot Act and under …
“Gaps in local-federal intelligence sharing systems jeopardize national security investigations and threaten Americans’ civil liberties, according to a new Brennan Center report. National Security and Local Police, the most comprehensive survey of counterterrorism policing since 9/11, finds that police are operating without adequate standards and oversight mechanisms, routinely amassing mountains of data – including personal information …
News release, December 21, 2013: “Yesterday, the Director of National Intelligence (“DNI”) announced the declassification of the existence of collection activities authorized by President George W. Bush shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Starting on October 4, 2001, President Bush authorized the Secretary of Defense to employ the capabilities of the Department of Defense, …
Via LLRX.com – FOIA Frustration: Attorney and FOIA expert Scott A. Hodes discusses how requestors’ experience in obtaining results from the FOIA process can in large measure be mitigated by two key factors – FOIA Offices must have the ability to follow the law, and top agency management must allow the professionals within the agency to do this.
