FPF sues Justice Department over Qatari plane secrecy
The U.S. classifies far too many secrets, obstructing democracy.
Excessive government secrecy takes many forms, from agencies needlessly claiming documents are classified to ignoring information requests and destroying records — even when the documents show government fraud or illegal conduct. This hinders a free press, effective oversight, and the public’s ability to self govern.
We need to fight for systemic improvements, and we need the press to vigorously question the government every time it says something is classified.
Featured Items
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FOIA Friday: IRS 'Loses' Emails, Feds Cover-up Stingray Records, and More
This post is adapted from CJ Ciaramella's weekly Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. THE IRS IS BAD AT KEEPING RECORDS, WHICH IS NOT TERRIBLY UNUSUAL Late last Friday, the IRS informed Congress that it had lost a significant amount of emails …
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POGO Launches SecureDrop Amidst Subpoena Controversy Over VA Whistleblower Records
Today, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), the respected DC-based government watchdog organization, launched its own version of SecureDrop, our open-source whistleblower submission system. This installation takes on a special and urgent significance, as POGO has recently been subpoenaed for information on whistleblowers that have contacted them about the …
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Freedom of Information Act Rundown: Stingray Surveillance and FERPA abuse
This post is adapted from CJ Ciaramella's weekly FOIA newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. STINGRAYS Last week I mentioned a new, crowd-funded project by MuckRock to collect nationwide data on law enforcement surveillance of cell phones, particularly the use of "stingray" tracking technology. The stingray tech …
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National Security Letter Case Shows the Absurdity of the Government’s Secrecy Rules
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better example of the government’s ludicrous approach to secrecy than a current case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the constitutionality of National Security Letters. For almost two months, the government and Court of Appeals have teamed up to prevent a group …
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'Journalist' Argues In NY Times That Publishing Decisions Should Ultimately Be Made By Government
Glenn Greenwald spends the last third of his excellent new book, No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the US Surveillance State, exposing the mentality and function of pseudo-journalists like David Gregory, who are in fact better understood as courtiers to power. So it was kind of …
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These Are the 99 FOIA Requests Top Pentagon Officials Had to Approve
Ninety-Nine Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed by journalists and researchers since last July were flagged by the Department of Defense (DOD) and had to receive “Department Level Clearance” before agencies within DOD could issue a response and/or responsive records. I obtained the latest so-called Department Level Interest list …
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Motive, Means, and Opportunity: Why NSA Secrecy Should Worry Us All
Even if you haven’t studied criminal law, you’ll immediately understand the concept of motive, means, and opportunity. Motive is you wanted to kill the victim. Means is you were holding a loaded gun. Opportunity is the victim was standing right in front of you. Without all three, you can’t have …
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Obama Administration Proves Why the Public Needs Someone to Leak the CIA Torture Report
It’s now been over a month since the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to force the Obama administration to declassify parts of the Committee’s landmark report on CIA torture, and the public still has not seen a word of the 6,000 page investigation. Despite both the White House and CIA …
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Judge Orders FBI to Conduct New Search for Documents on Internet Activist Aaron Swartz
A federal court judge on Monday ordered the FBI to conduct a new search for documents on Aaron Swartz, the late Internet activist who was being aggressively prosecuted by the federal government for downloading millions of academic articles. Swartz committed suicide in January 2013 before his case had gone to …
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How the "Most Transparent Administration in History" Undercut FOIA and Covered Up Torture
The nonpartisan organization Cause of Action has a new report out for Sunshine Week, "Grading the Government: How the White House Targets Document Requesters." The report includes an April 15, 2009 email Cause of Action obtained last year from the Justice Department written by then White House counsel Greg Craig. …
