Government watchdog alleges FBI stonewalling on WikiLeaks surveillance

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has sued the Justice Department and the FBI claiming that they refuse to release information on the FBI’s surveillance of citizens who have shown support for or interest in WikiLeaks. EPIC made the Freedom of Information Act complaint in federal court. -db From the Courthouse News Service, January 31, [...]

Four cases in 2011 give boost to transparency

There were four cases over the Freedom of Information Act that promoted transparency in 2011 according to the Electronic Freedom Foundation. The cases were Milner v. Department of Navy, FCC v. AT&T, Islamic Shura Council of S. Cal. v. FBI and National Day Laborer Organizing Network v. ICE. From a commentary for the Electronic Frontier [...]

WikiLeaks reveals details on ‘mass surveillance industry’

WikiLeaks released  the first documents of a massive cache of documents from contractors involved in surveillance. To make the release, WikiLeaks worked with two other nonprofits and with the media including the Washington Post. WikiLeaks said surveillance companies were invading personal computers and cell phones. -db From Mashable, December 1, 2011, by Stan Schroeder. Full [...]

Federal court sanctions federal government for lying about existence of records on surveillance of Muslim groups

A federal district court in California objected to the FBI’s practice of withholding information from the court whenever it thinks it serves the interest of national security. While the court said national security interests could justify withholding the information about targeting Muslim organizations from the Islamic Shura Council and its attorneys, it could not block [...]

Justice Department refuses request for legal opinion concerning FBI surveillance

The Justice Department has refused a request by the Electronic Frontier Foundation for an important legal opinon on the use of “exigent letters,” a method of requesting information that includes telephone company records. In refusing to disclose the legal opinion, the DOJ cited national security concerns. -db From Politico, November 11, 2011, by Josh Gerstein. [...]

Opinion: Government use of global tracking can adversely affect free speech rights

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling next spring  in United States v. Jones involving police warrantless use of a GPS tracking device could have wide ranging effect on the rights to association and free speech, writes Gene Policinski for the First Amendment Center. “The freedom to associate with others of similar and perhaps unpopular views, and [...]

Domestic spying pervasive since 9/11

President Barack Obama has done nothing to fulfill his promise to curtail warrantless spying and in fact wants Congress to renew powers given to the federal government to conduct the surveillance. Writing a commentary for Wired, Ryan Singel quotes Julian Sanchez of the Cato Institute on the effectiveness of the spying, “We have become so [...]

Open government: Senators propose bill on secret expansion of Patriot Act powers

A bill proposed by Senators Roy Wyden and Mark Udall would require the U.S. intelligence chief to admit to interpreting the Patriot Act to give the government massive domestic surveillance powers not granted by Congress. In a letter last week to Wyden and Udall, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper admitted to the secret legal [...]

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 [...]

Justice Department asks full federal appeals court panel to hear big brother case

A New York Times editorial argues that three judges of a federal appeals court got it right when they ruled that police violated the Constitution by hiding a GPS device in a suspect’s car without a warrant. -db The New York Times Editorial October 5, 2010 In a landmark 1967 case, the Supreme Court ruled [...]

EFF provides guidelines for online censorship circumvention

The senior staff technologist for the Electronic Freedom Foundation provides guidelines for writing software against online censorship with an intent to protect the lives of activists in authoritarian regimes. -db Electronic Freedom Foundation Commentary September 17, 2010 By Peter Eckersley Writing software to protect political activists against censorship and surveillance is a tricky business. If [...]

FBI chief: Surveillance rules not based on race, faith

FBI Director Robert Mueller told Congress yesterday that the bureau’s domestic-surveillance guidelines were being used properly and that agents were not employing them to target people for investigation on the basis of race. July 29, 2010 By The Associated Press WASHINGTON–The FBI director’s defense of the guidelines at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing followed criticism [...]

Federal court allows New York police to keep convention surveillance records secret

The New York City Police Department won a victory as the 2nd Circuit panel ruled that it did not have to release police surveillance records gathered before the 2004 Republican National Convention. The panel found in this case that police privilege trumped the public’s right to know. -db Courthouse News Service June 9, 2010 By [...]

Federal prosecutors complain that judge is blocking criminal probe of school webcam spying

A federal district judge has ordered that evidence be restricted to those connected to a civil lawsuit charging invasion of privacy when a school district spied on students using school-issued webcams. Federal prosecutors has asked the judge to modify the order so they can conduct a criminal investigation of the district. -db Wired April 26, [...]

Tech companies must share burden with media companies in fighting for global Internet freedom

The Electronic Frontier Foundation cites seven corporations that should share the task with Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft in fighting for Internet freedom. The EFF points out that the companies are selling technology to the Chinese government used for spying, censorship, invading privacy, and intimidating citizens. -db Electronic Frontier Foundation Opinion February 1, 2010 By Danny [...]

NYPD must release documents of surveillance of Republican convention protesters

A federal judge ruled that the New York Police Department must release documents showing its surveillance of protesters of the 2004 Republican National Convention. Over 1,800 were arrested during the protests. -DB The New York Times December 14, 2009 NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has ruled the New York Police Department must release [...]

Obama asks for renewal of Patriot Act provisions sanctioning secret domestic spying

The Obama administration has notified Congress that it backs renewing provisions of the Patriot Act which expires at the end of the year. The provisions include a secret court for granting wiretaps and warrants for records – banking, library and medical. -DB Wired September 15, 2009 By David Kravets The Obama administration has told Congress it [...]

China acts again to control Web site discourse

The Chinese government has issued a secret order requiring Internet users to sign onto news Web sites with their real names and identification numbers adding a new level of surveillance to an already tightly monitored enterprise. -DB The New York Times September 6, 2009 By Jonathan Ansfield BEIJING — News Web sites in China, complying with [...]