If you use a cellphone and live in one of these 20 states, there’s a decent chance police have spied on you using a secretive mass surveillance tool called a stingray. But good luck finding out. Because if there’s one thing we know for sure about these devices, it’s that the federal government is fighting tooth and nail to stop you from ever learning anything about them.
[…]
Read More… from Opinion: Police want to keep surveillance tech secret
The Department of Justice last week published newly updated regulations on implementation of the Freedom of Information Act, with several notable changes made in response to public comments.
Fifteen sets of comments were submitted by individual members of the public or public interest organizations after the Department released its draft FOIA regulations in 2011. In a lengthy Federal Register notice on April 3, the Department addressed all of the comments, and actually adopted a number of the changes recommended by public commenters.
[…]
A bipartisan Freedom of Information Act reform bill, HR-653, that has passed the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee could come to a House floor vote soon, with Senate action potentially following.
[…]
The expanding reach of the Freedom of Information Act has introduced a new dynamic at federal agencies, and it is driving the need for IT professionals in the public sector to understand and conduct electronic discovery for records being requested by individuals and private parties under FOIA.
[…]
Read More… from How to ease the e-discovery impact of FOIA requests
Citizens United filed its fourth lawsuit against the State Department on Thursday, this time seeking documents related to the agency's Office of Inspector General during former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's tenure.
In the suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the conservative advocacy group complains that the State Department has not responded to two of its Freedom of Information Act requests in more than six months, beyond acknowledging receiving them. The statutory requirement is 20 business days.
[…]
Read More… from Citizens United files new lawsuit seeking State Department watchdog documents
The State Department is fighting a journalist's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit demanding that the agency process for release a broad swath of email and other records produced by Hillary Clinton's aides during her four years as secretary of state.
[…]
Read More… from Feds fight Hillary Clinton-focused email lawsuit
A top freedom-of-information expert isn’t buying Hillary Clinton’s explanation of why she set up her own email system to conduct official State Department business, calling it “laughable.”
Daniel Metcalfe, who advised White House administrations on interpreting the Freedom of Information Act from 1981 to 2007, told The Canadian Press that the former secretary of state acted “contrary to both the letter and the spirit of the law.”
[…]
Read More… from Freedom of Information Act expert: Clinton’s email system ‘laughable’
Hillary Clinton has said she wants the public to see 55,000 e-mails she turned over to the State Department that had been kept in her personal, unofficial e-mail account. But nobody should hold their breath waiting to see them. That’s because the State Department is legendary for taking forever to wade through and ultimately decide what documents can be released when.
[…]
