Category «Freedom of Information»

ACLU Seeks Records About Laptop Searches At The Border

News release: “United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) policy permits officials to search the laptops and other electronic devices of travelers without suspicion of wrongdoing, according to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU filed the FOIA request with CBP, a component of the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

National Archives Appoints Director of the Office of Government Information Services

News release: “Acting Archivist of the United States Adrienne Thomas announced today the appointment of Miriam Nisbet as the director of the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) within the National Archives and Records Administration. OGIS, an organization newly established under the OPEN Government Act of 2007, will provide policy guidance and mediation services for …

Subjects: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

New Declassification Releases by the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel

News releases, National Security Archive [includes links to full text of referenced documents]: “Now that President Obama has announced a review of U.S. secrecy policy, critics of secrecy policy and declassification requesters alike can only hope that those who carry it out understand the serious failings of the secrecy system as it currently exists. One …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents

D.C. Circuit Holds Office of Administration Is Not An Agency, Not Subject to FOIA

Follow up to previous postings on missing White House emails during Bush administrations, today’s news release: “Today, in Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) v. Office of Administration, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued an opinion upholding the district court’s conclusion that the Office of Administration (OA) is not …

Subjects: Courts, E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

2009 Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act – Procedure for Ordering Copies

News release: “The Office of Information Policy is planning to publish the 2009 edition of the Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act through the Government Printing Office (GPO) in June. The 2009 Guide will contain detailed discussions of the FOIA’s exemptions, as well as its procedural requirements, and FOIA litigation considerations. …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Groups Request White House Office of Administration Be Subject to Freedom of Information Act

News release: “Citizens for Responsibility of Ethics in Washington (CREW), along with 36 other organizations, has sent a letter to the White House urging that the White House’s Office of Administration (OA) once again become an agency subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), as had been the case in previous administrations.”

Subjects: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

President Obama's FOIA Memorandum and Attorney General Holder's FOIA Guidelines

DOJ Office of Information Policy FOIA Post – Creating a New Era of Open Government: “On his first full day in office, January 21, 2009, President Obama issued a memorandum to the heads of all departments and agencies on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The President directed that FOIA “should be administered with a …

Subjects: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

Sunshine in Government Initiative Report on FOIA Backlogs

“Despite reforms enacted by Congress and an order from the last administration to do a better job, federal agencies continue to give those seeking information a frustrating and oftentimes unsatisfying experience, an analysis of federal agency FOIA reports shows. Backlogs persist despite fewer FOIA requests, agencies continue to miss the statutory response deadline in a …

Subjects: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

EPIC Demands Disclosure of Documents Detailing "Virtual Strip Search" Airport Scanners

“Today, EPIC filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding disclosure of records detailing airport scanners that take naked pictures of American travelers. Security experts describe the “whole body imaging” scanners as virtual strip searches. The Transportation Security Administration plans to make the scans mandatory at all airport security checkpoints, despite prior assurances that whole …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research