Critics balance praise with skepticism on new Obama promise for greater transparency

The Obama administration has reduced the backlog of  Freedom of Information Act requests but still faces a large number of unfulfilled requests. Under a new plan, the administration wants to improve the processing of the requests and also address other crucial issues in government openness including strengthening whistleblower protections and making more information available. Writing [...]

Obama to issue new order improving security in response to WikiLeaks

The Obama administration will issue an executive order in a matter of weeks to tighten security of classified information. New procedures will meet the challenge of groups like WikiLeaks who  got ahold of thousands of classified documents concerning the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The procedures will fill in gaps in policy for information systems security [...]

New York Times reporter ordered to testify but may protect sources

A federal judge ordered New York Times reporter James Risen to testify in the trial of former CIA agent Jeffrey Sterling but may protect the identities of his sources. Risen had published a book about the CIA botches during several presidential administrations. For the Courthouse News Service, Ryan Abbott wrote, “U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema [...]

Espionage Act: Washington Post questions charges against former government employee

Justice Department prosecutors are trying Thomas Drake, a former employee of the National Security Agency, for violation of the Espionage Act after Drake talked to a Baltimore Sun reporter about a program he thought was wasting billions of taxpayer dollars. A Washington Post editorial argues that the indictment and proposed punishment are not proportionate to [...]

New Yorker article critical of Obama administration in prosecuting whistleblower

The Justice Department is charging Thomas Drake, a former National Security Agency executive, with espionage for taking top-secret documents from N.S.A. offices and leaking information to a Baltimore Sun reporter. The reporter, Siobhan Gorman, wrote a prize-winning series of stories about waste, mismanagement, and dubious legal practices in the agency’s counter terrorism programs. New Yorker [...]

U.S. House of Representatives wants Pentagon lockout of WikiLeaks

The House Armed Services Committee wants to require the Defense Department to employ and “insider-detection” system to block leaks of information. The system would require centralized monitoring and detection of unauthorized activities especially cross-domain transfers of information. The committee did voice concerns that increased  scrutiny and would block the flow of information and negatively affect [...]

Former federal prosecutor loses case over reporter’s sources

A federal judge ruled against a former federal prosecutor claiming a confidential source from the Department of Justice violated his privacy rights by talking with a reporter. In his decision the judge said that the former prosecutor could not prevail in his case against the Department of Justice (DOJ) because he needed to show that [...]

Former CIA officer indicted for leaks to New York Times

The Obama administration indicted a former CIA officer, continuing its campaign to prosecute individuals for leaking classified information. -db The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press January 7, 2011 By Peter Haldis A former CIA officer was indicted last month for allegedly providing a New York Times reporter with classified information. He is the latest in [...]

Open government advocate applauds official’s leak of U.S. post-war support of Nazis

Steven Aftergood of Secrecy News says that a comparison of the redacted report with the one released to the public shows that it was proper for an official to leak the complete text of the report showing that the U.S. gave Nazis safe haven after World War II. -db Secrecy News Opinion November 16, 2010 [...]

State Department analyst indicted for disclosing secrets about North Korea to Fox News

The Obama administration has taken an aggressive stance toward individuals leaking secret information to the media. -db The New York Times August 27, 2010 By Scott Shane WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal grand jury in Washington has indicted a State Department analyst suspected of disclosing top-secret information about North Korea to Fox News, the third [...]

Wikileaks criticized for ‘clumsy disclosure’

Steven Aftergood of Secrecy News argues that WikiLeaks disclosure of the Afghan War Diary has had the unfortunate consequence of increasing public support for the present system of document classification. -db Secrecy News Commentary August 16, 2010 By Steven Aftergood Unauthorized disclosures of classified information (“leaks”) often play an important role in the proper functioning [...]

Federal judge says leak classified info, pay the penalty

A federal judge says in certain circumstances individuals might choose to leak classified information when  the public should know what the government is doing, but the leaker should be willing to take the consequences of breaking the law. -db Secrecy News Federation of American Scientists March 22, 2010 By Steven Aftergood Leaking classified information to [...]

Secret report says Wikileaks a security threat to army

A classified intelligence report published on Wikileaks calls the site a “threat to the U.S. Army” and says it publishes information gained from leakers in the Defense Department or government that could be used to target military personnel. The report recommends identifying the leakers to end the threat to U.S. forces. -db Wired March 15, [...]