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EPIC Launches Open Government Gallery [Advisory Board]
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2003 15:13:12 -0500
I think you will find the site very illuminating especially the funed TIA sites. Dave FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Date: March 14, 2003 David L. Sobel x.105 Mihir Kshirsagar x.110 202-483-1140 EPIC LAUNCHES OPEN GOVERNMENT GALLERY FOR FOIA DAY 2003 Former Secrets About Electronic Surveillance, Total Information Awareness, and Video Surveillance Now Available at www.epic.org Today the Electronic Privacy Information Center launched an "Online FOIA Gallery" that showcases documents EPIC obtained in the past year from federal agencies under the Freedom of Information Act. The new Web site celebrates open government and the annual Freedom of Information Day. EPIC's General Counsel David L. Sobel said, "The FOIA is critical for the functioning of democratic government because it helps ensure that the public is fully informed about matters of public concern." In the past year, EPIC has obtained several important documents about proposed government programs for new systems of public surveillance: * One set of documents featured in the EPIC FOIA Gallery concerns the controversial Total Information Awareness program. The documents, obtained by EPIC under the FOIA, reveal the companies and universities that will receive funding from the federal government for this new system of national surveillance. * Also available are Park Police helicopter surveillance camera logs that show that public demonstrations in Washington, D.C., such as the Million Family March, the Pro-Life March, and the Anti-Globalization protests, are routinely videotaped by law enforcement agencies. * One internal FBI memo describes the steps to get a search warrant under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). But two other memos obtained through the FOIA document how FBI agents failed to follow those legal guidelines in practice. * Another memo reveals numerous mistakes that agents made with electronic surveillance warrants, such as illegally videotaping suspects, intercepting e-mails without court permission, recording the wrong phone conversations, and allowing operations to run beyond their legal deadline. * Another memo describes how an FBI anti-terrorism investigation involving Osama bin Laden in March 2000 was hampered by technical flaws in the Bureau's controversial Carnivore Internet surveillance system. A written report describes the incident as part of a "pattern" indicating "an inability on the part of the FBI to manage" its foreign intelligence surveillance activities. The documents have led to several efforts to promote government accountability. Prompted in part by these FOIA disclosures, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee introduced the Domestic Surveillance Oversight Act, which would improve the public reporting requirements for electronic surveillance. The D.C. City Council has also held extensive hearings on video surveillance in Washington, citing the documents obtained by EPIC. The Council has now developed regulations that prohibit the Police from recording protected First Amendment activities. EPIC is a public interest research organization in Washington, D.C. EPIC has litigated many of the leading Freedom of Information Act cases concerning privacy and government surveillance. EPIC also publishes a litigation manual on the Freedom of Information Act and open government laws. The FOIA Gallery can be seen at http://www.epic.org/open_gov/foiagallery.html EPIC, Litigation Under the Federal Open Government Laws http://www.epic.org/bookstore/foia2002/ - 30 - . ------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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- EPIC Launches Open Government Gallery [Advisory Board] Dave Farber (Mar 15)