Category «Freedom of Information»

The Roberts Court Is Winning Its War on American Democracy

TNR / The New Republic – [no paywall] “…The United States is less democratic, less self-governing, more dysfunctional, and more corrupt than it was 20 years ago, thanks in large part to the Supreme Court’s rulings. By that standard, the Roberts court has failed. The United States is less democratic, less self-governing, more dysfunctional, and …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Courts, Freedom of Information, Legal Research

404 Media Suing ICE for its $2 Million Spyware Contract

404 Media: “On Monday 404 Media filed a lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demanding the agency publish its $2 million contract with Paragon, a company that makes powerful spyware that can remotely break into mobile phones without the target even clicking a link. The sale of the spyware to ICE has activists and …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Courts, E-Government, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

SciOp is part of Safeguarding Research & Culture

SciOp is part of Safeguarding Research & Culture (SRC). As a website and a group of people, SciOp is dedicated to ensuring that our cultural, intellectual and scientific heritage exists in multiple copies, in multiple places, and that no single entity or group of entities can make it all disappear. As software, SciOp is dreaming …

Subjects: Climate Change, E-Government, Education, Environmental Law, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

Our Stop Censoring Abortion Campaign Uncovers a Social Media Censorship Crisis

EFF: “This is the first installment in a blog series documenting EFF’s findings from the Stop Censoring Abortion campaign. You can read additional posts here. We’ve been hearing that social media platforms are censoring abortion-related content, even when no law requires them to do so. Now, we’ve got the receipts.  For months, EFF has been investigating …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media

DOJ Deletes Study Showing Domestic Terrorists Are Most Often Right Wing

404 Media: no paywall: “The Department of Justice has removed a study showing that white supremacist and far-right violence “continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism” in the United States.  The study, which was conducted by the National Institute of Justice and hosted on a DOJ website was available there …

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

Airlines Sell 5 Billion Plane Ticket Records to the Government For Warrantless Searching

404 Media no paywall: “A data broker owned by major U.S. airlines is selling masses of customers’ travel data to the government. New documents we just got show this includes “5 billion ticketing records for searching capabilities.” Where people went, how they paid, and even where they plan to go in the future are all …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

AG Sulzberger Urges Journalists: Keep Reporting Without Fear or Favor

NYTco.com, Speaking to the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization, The New York Times Publisher and Chairman AG Sulzberger called for journalists to stand up for their rights: “…Democracy is in retreat across the world. Aspiring strongmen are undermining the laws, norms, and institutions that are the bedrock of free societies. A primary target of this …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

US investors in spyware firms nearly tripled in 2024: report

The Record: The number of U.S.-based investors bankrolling spyware companies nearly tripled in 2024, with 31 American firms found to be backing the manufacturers compared to just 11 in 2023. The finding was published by the Atlantic Council think tank in a report released Wednesday which analyzed 561 spyware entities — vendors, supplies, partners, investors, …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Mail, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media

Award-Winning THE LIBRARIANS Documentary Sets Widespread Release

Book Riot – “In a room filled to the brim, attendees at the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual conference in Philadelphia this summer watched Kim A. Snyder’s documentary The Librarians. The Librarians debuted at Sundance Film Festival in January 2025, and in the following months, traveled the country doing shows at libraries and festivals. ALA …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

Mapped: How 6 Billionaire Family Fortunes Fund Project 2025

DeSmog – “As scrutiny of Project 2025 continues to grow, defenders of the Heritage Foundation-led initiative, which would reshape federal governance and give the next Republican president unprecedented new powers, say it’s the criticism — not the 922-page plan itself — that’s too extreme. In a piece published last month, Fox News cited prominent conservatives who …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Economy, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Project 2026: Trump’s Plan to Rig the Next Election

Mother Jones – “From nationalizing voter suppression to flooding the streets with federal agents, the president and his allies are using all the tricks in the authoritarian playbook to tilt the midterms in their favor. The scale of Trump’s interference in the midterms has become crystal clear in recent weeks. The president pressured Texas to …

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

Epstein Files Are Out. The Coverup is Worse Than You Think.

See also Greg Olear – The Real Epstein List – A survey of the rich & powerful individuals who elevated Jeffrey Epstein, hired him, funded him, enabled him, befriended him, and/or partook of his services. Includes name and bios and information about each person’s relationship with Epstein. Dean Blundell – “The House Oversight just published …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Social Media