EFF seeks records on drones in U.S. airspace

The Electric Freedom Foundation is suing the Department of Transportation for its records on drones operating in U.S. airspace. EFF claims the drones are used for surveillance of U.S.  citizens and are a matter of great public concern. -db From The Washington Post, January 13, 2012, by Jason Ukman. Full story    

Federal court orders release of list of jets used by Big 3 automakers

ProPublica won a court battle in its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to gain the release of a list of corporate jets used by Big 3 automakers to fly to Washington, D.C. to ask for a taxpayer bail out. -db ProPublica Commentary February 26, 2010 By Michael Grabell A federal district judge ruled Friday that [...]

Obama and transparency: In the midst of major gains, some managers resist open government initiatives

For a multitude of reasons, not every official is aggressively embracing President Barack Obama’s open government directives. -DB NextGov Commentary January 21, 2010 By Aliya Sternstein When he took office, President Obama said he wanted agencies to leverage new technologies to open government. One year after the president announced an initiative to open the government, [...]

Civil liberties group gains access to telecom lobbying record over surveillance program

A federal judge ordered the Obama administration to release records of telecom lobbying to obtain immunity from suits over their role in warrantless surveillance. -DB Electronic Frontier Foundation Press Release September 24, 2009 SAN FRANCISCO – A judge ordered the government Thursday to release more records about the lobbying campaign to provide immunity to the [...]