Homeland Security

Michigan Homeland Security charging $7 million for documents in FOIA request

The Michigan Homeland Security is charging a staff member of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy $6,876,303.90 to fulfill a Freedom of Information Act  request for documents on homeland security grant money from 2002 to 2009. The center was following up on a report by the Office of the Inspector General which revealed a lack of accountability and other questionable practices. -DB Mackinac Center for Public Policy November 10, 2009 By Kathy Hoekstra What Price

Read More »

Suit asks for records concerning warrantless searches of travelers’ laptops

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a Freedom of Information lawsuit in federal court to obtain records pertaining to the immigration and border policy of routinely searching traveler’s laptops. -DB Congress Daily August 26, 2009 The American Civil Liberties Union wants federal government records pertaining to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s policy of searching travelers’ laptops without suspicion of wrongdoing. The watchdog group filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit Wednesday in a New

Read More »

Federal government: New ‘sharing’ agency no guarantee to transparency

Secrecy News’ Steven Atergood says that the newly appointed Senior Director for Information Sharing Policy does not have a mandate for transparency. Rather, Aftergood asserts, “information sharing” does not include the public. -DB Secrecy News Federation of American Scientists Analysis August 17, 2009 By Steven Aftergood The Obama Administration is giving increased attention to the continuing post-9/11 challenge of information sharing, with a newly appointed White House Senior Director of Information Sharing Policy tasked to

Read More »

Foundation sues for records of illegal acts of intelligence agencies

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed suit in federal court to force the CIA and other government agencies to disclose reports on possible violations of the law by intelligence agencies during the Bush administration. -DB Electronic Frontier Foundation July 22, 2009 Press Release SAN FRANCISCO – The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed suit today against the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and a half-dozen other federal agencies involved in intelligence gathering, demanding the immediate release of reports

Read More »